A statement by the Government Media Office on Telegram said on Saturday that the death toll resulting from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip has increased to 57, Al Jazeera reported.

It said the number is expected to increase as the crossings into Gaza remain closed and the entry of aid, baby formula and nutritional supplements have been prevented by Israel.

It added that the vast majority of victims were children as well as sick and elderly people.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the continued use of food by the Israeli occupation as a weapon of war and its imposition of a stifling blockade against more than 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip by completely closing the crossings for the 63rd consecutive day,” the media office stated.