In a makeshift tent on a Gazan beach, three-month-old Muntaha's grandmother grinds up chickpeas into the tiniest granules she can to form a paste to feed the infant, knowing it will cause her to cry in pain, in a desperate race to keep the baby from starving.

Feeding children solids too early can disrupt their nutrition, cause stomach problems, and risk choking, paediatric health experts say.

"If the hunger continues ... within three or four days, if the child doesn't get access to milk immediately, then they will die," (doctor Khalil Daqran) said.