I wanted to open a space to reflect on something that’s been haunting me.
I've noticed in reports from Gaza that children are dying of starvation at shocking rates — even more than adults. At first I wondered how this could be, given that children need less food than adults. But I’ve since learned that children are actually the first to die in famine situations.
Here’s why:
-
Children have smaller bodies but higher nutritional needs per kilogram, especially during growth spurts. They need regular, balanced intake to maintain development.
-
Malnutrition hits them faster — their energy stores are smaller, and their bodies have less ability to adapt to a lack of nutrients.
-
Their immune systems weaken rapidly, making them far more likely to die from diseases that an adult body might fight off.
-
Infants and toddlers can’t chew tougher emergency rations or go without water as long, and breastfed babies suffer if their mothers are dehydrated or malnourished.
- The UN says that in every famine, the first to die are the smallest and weakest.
-
The stories of babies dying in their mothers’ arms — not from bombs or bullets but from hunger — are unbearable. I can’t stop thinking about the terror and anguish these parents must feel. How helpless it must be to watch your child fade away slowly, knowing you have nothing left to give them.
I know we talk about current events, about war, politics, sides — but surely, we can unite around this: no child should starve to death in their mother’s arms.