By Nwakanma Lauren
Watching the news from Gaza feels like witnessing a slow-motion nightmare unfold. It’s not just headlines; it’s a profound human tragedy, and frankly, it feels like the world is failing its most vulnerable. We’re well into July 2025, and instead of improvement, the situation there is getting worse by the day.
My heart aches when I read about the children, especially babies, dying because they don’t have enough food or even any food at all. It’s not about complex politics or faraway battles for them; it’s about a desperate, gut-wrenching hunger. The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO), along with many other international organizations, are shouting urgent warnings about the mass starvation and a deadly surge in malnutrition-related deaths. These children, especially those under five, are dying at an alarming rate because they’re hungry and malnourished. In this month alone, dozens of children have died from starvation.
Imagine being a parent, seeing your child waste away, knowing that help is so close and yet so impossibly far. The hospitals have been damaged and destroyed and are now barely functional. They are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of the sick and injured and are operating with a critical shortage of staff, electricity, and life-saving medical supplies. Many other facilities have been damaged or destroyed, and those that remain are operating at minimal capacity. It’s a disgrace that we, as a global community, are letting this happen.
The biggest problem, and one that makes me incredibly angry, is that aid isn’t getting through. The humanitarian aid pipeline, a lifeline for Gaza’s 2.1 million trapped residents, remains severely obstructed. Trucks full of food and medicine are waiting at the borders, while people inside Gaza are starving. How can we stand by while aid organizations beg for access, only to be met with roadblocks and delays?
There are harrowing accounts of Palestinians, desperate for food, being killed while trying to access aid distribution sites. Over 1,000 individuals have reportedly lost their lives in such incidents since May, with witnesses and health officials pointing to the lethal force used against crowds seeking sustenance. The stories of their oppressors opening fire on them whilst they’re trying to get food and aid from the distribution sites are beyond horrifying. It’s not just a statistic; it’s a person, a life, extinguished in a desperate attempt to survive.
Nearly 90% of Gaza’s population is estimated to be displaced, forced to leave their homes over and over again, crammed into tiny, unsafe spaces, makeshift shelters, and damaged buildings, enduring overcrowding, insecurity, and the constant trauma of violence and loss. They’ve lost everything; their homes, their sense of safety, and often enough, their loved ones. It’s a deliberate crushing of a population.
The ongoing talks about a ceasefire appear to be going nowhere. One side blames the other, and meanwhile, the people of Gaza pay the ultimate price. It’s exhausting to hear about diplomatic efforts that consistently fail to bring relief to those who need it most. This isn’t just a political game; it is about human lives.
More and more countries are speaking out, with 25 nations condemning Israel over the “inhumane killing of civilians” and for restricting the flow of aid. The UN Secretary-General, global aid organizations, and governments are all calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire. The international community grapples with how to effectively deliver aid, protect and support the people of Gaza in their fight for survival, a fight they are losing with each passing day.
This isn’t a time for polite statements or endless debates. This is a moment for action. We need an immediate and lasting ceasefire, not just pauses. We need an open, unrestricted flow of aid, without excuses or delays. Every single country, every international body, every person with a conscience must demand this. We cannot look away. The silence of the world in the face of such suffering is a complicity we cannot afford.
The people of Gaza are not just numbers in a news report; they are human beings, just like you and me. They deserve to live, to eat, to be safe. Those innocent children do not deserve to have their childhood or their lives stripped away from them like that. It’s time we acted with the urgency and humanity this crisis demands. We have the power to make a difference, and we must use it before it’s too late.
