Editorial: It’s torture. It’s heinous. It must be stopped.
I’m the mother to a two year old son and it’s getting increasingly difficult to look at what’s happening in Gaza.
The image of starving babies, toddlers and children and those looking after them is carved into my brain. What’s the difference between my son and the son of a mother in Gaza? Just one; the country they were born in.
It’s torture. It’s heinous. It must be stopped. Silence is not golden in this case and I’m glad our president, Michael D Higgins, has written to his fellow members of the Arraiolos Group of non-executive European Presidents to call for action on the horrific situation facing the people of Gaza. The Arraiolos Group is an informal group of Presidents of European Union member states. President Michael D Higgins is well respected here and abroad. I hope his words reach those who can stop the needless death in Gaza.
His letter said: “I write to you with a deep sense of grief. Unacceptable violence continues to cause immeasurable suffering in Ukraine, Sudan and too many other parts of our shared world. I am sure that we all remember with horror the moment when news broke of the horrific atrocities carried out by Hamas as we returned from our meeting of the Arraiolos Group in Porto in October 2023. These atrocities were rightly condemned by all member states. We were not silent and called for the unconditional release of all hostages. While Israel has a right to defend itself, we cannot let that horrific event provide a licence or cover for the totally unacceptable loss of life, including from malnutrition and dehydration by infants and mothers that is now being perpetrated in Gaza.”
He goes highlights that the entire population of Gaza is currently facing a crisis that includes ever worsening levels of acute food insecurity, with more than 80% of cropland and 83% of agricultural wells having been destroyed. It has been reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians, mainly children, have been killed while seeking to collect aid since the commencement of the current violence. 20,000 mothers in Gaza are being subjected to conditions of dehydration and malnutrition with all the consequences to their own life and those of their children. UNICEF has reported that 6,500 children were admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition in June alone, with a further 5,000 admitted in the first two weeks of July, while a reported 80 children have already died of malnutrition. It is also reported that at least 1,580 medical personnel have lost their lives, with a further 180 in Israeli detention centres. When will it end? My heart is breaking. Now, I think I’ll go hug my son and count my blessings.