Gaza’s Children Ravaged by Severe Hunger, Their Cries Now Silent

Casal dels Infants – Save the Children’s President, Inger Ashing, described the heartbreaking condition of children in Gaza who are now facing severe hunger. According to her, the situation has become so dire that children no longer have the strength to cry.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Wednesday (August 27, 2025), Ashing recounted the devastating scenes inside emergency clinics. “Our clinics used to be filled with the sound of crying. Now, they are almost silent. Children no longer have the strength to speak or even cry in pain. They just lie there, emaciated, utterly miserable,” she said on Thursday (August 28, 2025).

Hunger Is More Than Just a Term

Ashing stressed that severe hunger is not merely a technical term. “When there is not enough food, children become severely malnourished, and then they die, slowly and painfully. Quite simply, this is what severe hunger means,” she explained.

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She went on to describe how starving children’s bodies consume fat reserves first to survive. Once those reserves are gone, the body begins breaking down muscle and even vital organs, ultimately leading to death.

A Deadly Blockade

According to Ashing, the current crisis is not unexpected but rather a situation long warned about by international aid groups. She accused Israel of deliberately blocking the entry of food, medicine, and essential supplies into Gaza over the past two years since the war broke out in October 2023.

“Everyone in this room has a legal and moral responsibility to act and stop these atrocities,” Ashing emphasized during the UNSC session.

Gaza Officially Declared in Famine

Last week, the United Nations officially declared Gaza to be in famine. The report stated that severe hunger directly affects more than 500,000 people, including residents of densely populated Gaza City.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed food security monitoring body, projected that the crisis will worsen further. Without urgent intervention, famine could spread to cover two-thirds of Gaza by the end of September.

International Response

Following the UNSC session, 14 members, with the exception of the United States, issued a joint declaration. The statement expressed deep concern and sorrow over the catastrophic situation faced by Gaza’s civilians, particularly children.

“The use of starvation as a weapon of war is clearly prohibited under international humanitarian law. Hunger in Gaza must end immediately,” the declaration stated.

This joint statement reflects a growing global consensus that the international community cannot remain silent in the face of such suffering, especially the plight of children who are now at risk of death from systematic starvation.

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