The voice of five-year-old Abdullah Abu Zarqa was not just a passing cry in Gaza. When he spontaneously said, “I’m hungry,” he summed up the tragedy of an entire generation trapped between disease, hunger, and deprivation:
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عين على فلسطين | Eye on Palestine (@eye.on.palestine)Today, Wednesday 20 August, Abdullah passed away in a hospital in the Turkish city of Adana, after his small body was unable to resist the disease that worsened with the interruption of treatment and the severe shortage of medicines in Gaza. He waited a long time for a chance to survive, but closed borders, blocked crossings, and harsh bureaucratic procedures all conspired against his short life.
The child who touched hearts
Abdullah was not famous, but he became a symbol of Gaza after his weak voice was heard in a short clip in which he said: “I’m hungry.”
His words spread like wildfire, touching millions of hearts and confronting the world with the stark reality: the children of Gaza are asking only for their right to life, bread, and medicine.
That innocent cry became a harsh mirror reflecting the world’s inability to protect its weakest links. The echo of a hungry child’s words became the headline of an entire nation’s tragedy, a voice that haunts the human conscience whenever it tries to look away from Gaza.
Abdullah’s death was not a natural event – it never is in Gaza
His death was not a natural event, but a direct result of Israel’s siege that turned the most basic rights into a daily struggle: food, medicine, and even hope. His treatment was delayed many times due to the closure of the crossings and the lack of resources in Gaza’s hospitals, before he was transferred to Turkey, where he arrived exhausted, and the medical equipment was unable to compensate for what he had lost.
This is not just Abdullah’s story, but the story of hundreds of children in Gaza who are silently struggling with death, waiting for a crossing permit or a dose of medicine that may never come. Israel’s siege of Gaza does not only kill with bombing, but also gradually steals life through hunger, disease, and a lack of prospects.
A symbol of childhood under Israeli siege
With Abdullah’s passing, the world loses another child from Gaza, but his cry will remain a testament to the crime. “I’m hungry” is no longer just words, but a humanitarian document condemning all those who remain silent and all those who leave children to face hunger and disease without protection.
Abdullah will remain in the collective memory as a small face that life did not give a chance to play, and as an eternal voice reminding us that childhood in Gaza lives under bombardment and deprivation. His name will remain a symbol of murdered innocence and proof that saving children is not a political choice, but a humanitarian duty.
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
This post was originally published on Canary.