GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL

In a shattered Gaza neighborhood, amid blackened rubble and walls open to the sky, children stood trembling with hunger on Tuesday, pleading for food and medicine that Israel has blocked for two months during its 19-month genocide.

With sunken eyes, pale faces, and visible signs of malnutrition, some barely able to stand, they rallied to remind the world of their plight.

Trembling hands

During the event, organized by the volunteer group Four Friends in Khan Younis, the children raised trembling hands holding signs reading “Enough Killing,” “Open the Crossings,” “We Are Hungry,” and “Save Us.” The group’s 25th event, unlike previous ones, was a collective cry from children facing deadly starvation.

Gaza’s government media office reported Monday that Israel’s two-month closure of border crossings has caused a catastrophic decline in health conditions, with widespread malnutrition, especially among infants. Over 1 million children face daily hunger, and 65,000 have been admitted to Gaza’s remaining hospitals with severe malnutrition.

‘We’re dying from hunger’

“We beg for the crossings to open. We’re dying from hunger and bombardment,” said 11-year-old Rama Abu al-Aynayn, her voice choked with fear and hunger, speaking to Anadolu. “Most of those killed by airstrikes are children. Enough is enough. For two months, we’ve starved, with no safety or education,” she added.

Since March 2, Israel has sealed Gaza’s crossings, blocking food, medical, and humanitarian aid, worsening the humanitarian crisis, government, human rights, and international reports confirmed.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Friday that “Gaza’s children are starving.”

“The Government of Israel continues to block the entry of food and other basics. A manmade and politically motivated starvation. Nearly 2 months of siege,” he wrote on X.

‘Our children die before our eyes’

Rasmi Abu al-Aynayn, the team representative, standing among the children, described a reality where hunger rivals the devastation of airstrikes.

“This is our 25th event, but the hardest. Our children have no food, medicine, or safe shelter,” he said. “The (Israeli) occupation bans aid, markets are empty, and hunger kills as much as bombs. Israel uses starvation as a weapon against our people,” he told Anadolu.

“Since March 2, no food or medical aid has entered Gaza. Our children die before our eyes. Where is humanity’s conscience?” he asked.

On Friday, the UN World Food Programme announced its food stocks in Gaza were completely depleted due to Israel’s blockade.

Palestine’s UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon against Gaza’s civilians, calling for an immediate ceasefire during a Security Council session.

Egypt accused Israel on Monday before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of weaponizing starvation against Gaza’s civilians, demanding an immediate, unconditional end to the blockade.

The ICJ in The Hague began a week-long hearing on Israel’s humanitarian obligations toward Palestinians, following nearly two months of a total blockade halting aid to Gaza.

Gaza’s 2.4 million residents rely almost entirely on humanitarian aid, which has been cut off since Israel closed the Kerem Shalom, Zikim, and Erez crossings on March 2.

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

More than 52,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.