The images of malnourished and starving Palestinian children appear daily. As understandable as it is that some cannot bear this sight and chose not to watch, we must make sure we don’t turn away from them and from the awful realities of our world.
They need us for their very survival and to later hold the war criminals to account.
This is not the first time we have seen famine in recent decades, especially across parts of North and sub-Saharan Africa. More than 70 million people died from hunger in the 20th century, and many tens of thousands succumbed to acute malnutrition in recent famines in South Sudan and Somalia.
Famine is of course a consequence of more than just crop failures for whatever reason. They are also the result of the malign influences of human behaviour, such as wars and political instability, and the inability to get food supplies where they need to be for whatever reason.
What we are witnessing in Gaza is a deliberate stopping of desperate human beings from reaching food and aid. This is a despicable act, made even more shameful by the apparently indiscriminate killing of civilians by the members of the Israeli Defence Force.
Almost 1000 Gazans have been shot dead or blasted by mortars or tank fire in the past two months while queueing for food. In the latest outrage on Monday, Israeli soldiers opened fire at food-collection sites killing at least 40 civilians.
The civilised world is, naturally, appalled — just as it was shocked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1200 people and resulted in a further 251 people being taken hostage.
After nearly every shooting at a food-aid post, Israel’s military either claims it knows nothing about the incident or its soldiers were feeling threatened by the crowds of Gazans.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is keeping up the pretence that nobody is starving in Gaza, calling it a "bold-faced lie" to say Israel is responsible.
"There is no policy of starvation in Gaza. And there is no starvation in Gaza. We enabled humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza, otherwise there would be no Gazans," he said.
Even United States President Donald Trump, not known for his humanitarian approach — and perhaps Mr Netanyahu’s only remaining political ally — has expressed disgust for the situation and says he doesn’t agree with his claims that nobody is starving.
"Some of those kids ... that’s real starvation. I see it and you can’t fake that."
Airdrops of food and aid now being allowed into Gaza are widely condemned as far too little to make a difference when trucks with thousands of tonnes of supplies are being blocked from entering.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency head Philippe Lazzarini says "outrage and condemnation are no longer adequate for what is unfolding".
Israeli human rights groups are standing up and accusing the government of carrying out a genocide.
By not shouting vociferously about Israel’s crimes in Gaza, many countries risk appearing complicit in those actions.
The world needs to express its abject outrage about these barbarities and leave the Israeli government in no doubt it is now a pariah.
‘Uffin and puffing
Yes, Tauranga National MP Sam Uffindell, in your own words "how stupid do you have to be?"
Looking for an easy target to shore up the government’s views on council spending, Mr Uffindell hyperfocused and hyperventilated over the George St, Dunedin, revamp and the supposed $600,000 cost of one seesaw.
Get your facts right. Three seesaws cost $244,700 in a total play space development of $586,000.
As you said yourself, Mr Uffindell, "get yourselves in order".
