In Gaza, the children are starving. They live in a land transformed by the unrelenting and inhumane bombing of Israel’s war on the militant group Hamas. The walled-off, densely populated enclave of Gaza has been reduced to dusty roads that wind through mountains of mangled rebar and concrete rubble. With 90% of the population having been forcibly displaced, often multiple times in the last 20 months, most children no longer have a home to return to.[1] Their everyday reality is one marked by hunger and tragedy as the world fails to intervene on their behalf.
Mohammad al-Darbi, a 12-year-old boy living in Gaza with his family describes the nightmare that he and millions of others are presently living through. “We eat this sand, we have no food. We have no food!” He screams while pulling dirt from the ground, bringing it to his mouth in tears. “Have mercy on us! We have no food. We are eating sand instead of flour! Have mercy on us, mercy!”[2]
Mohammad is one of the estimated 1.9 million people remaining in Gaza living day-to-day in a war zone without life-sustaining resources. Access to adequate food, water, sanitation, electricity, healthcare, and permanent shelters is scarce. The desperation of the Palestinian people and their children is inescapable. Their cries can be heard around the world, but are we listening?
The desperation of the Palestinian people and their children is inescapable.
When we have the rare opportunity to hear from children like Mohammad from inside Gaza, we get a glimpse of the trauma that he and over a million individuals are forced to experience every moment of their waking hours. As we witness the continued suffering of the Palestinian people, we can’t help but think of our own family, children, and neighbors. Although this conflict remains far from our everyday lives, it’s ever-present in our politics and the news because the horrors of war are inescapable. We acknowledge that no reasonable human would accept this reality for themselves or their children. We also recognize that war is fundamentally unjust, inhumane, and evil because the human, ecological, and economic costs always outweigh the outcome.
Mohammad, his family, and the Palestinian people in Gaza live in a hellish state of existence not because they have chosen it, but because the powers of the world have willed it. Generations of injustice, betrayal, oppression, and war have culminated in this tragic moment in history. But the shock and devastation of war has a way of clarifying what’s most important: protecting and restoring the full humanity of everyone, everywhere.
We acknowledge that no reasonable human would accept this reality for themselves or their children.
Hope for Mohammad, his family, and the Palestinian people is not lost, but time is running short. The future for all people—from Israel and Palestine to every nation and individual on Earth—requires ethical, just, and sustainable solutions that create the conditions for human flourishing. To achieve this we must accept that all human life has equal value. Despite our imperfect proclivities, we are intrinsically full of goodness with a limitless capacity for love—for ourselves and our neighbors near and far. Our faith in each other must overcome the pain, trauma, and evil of the past with compassion, repentance, restitution, and forgiveness. Peace through mercy is the more pleasing life we long for.
The shock and devastation of war has a way of clarifying what’s most important: protecting and restoring the full humanity of everyone, everywhere.
At this moment, action is required from us. The collective will of the caring and merciful is greater than the cruelty and injustice of those entrusted with power to direct weapons of war and life-saving resources. From social media to personal calls and letters to your elected representatives, your voice makes a difference. Injustice continues because we remain silent and complicit. We must not believe the misconception that we’re insignificant in a world filled with overwhelming conflict and suffering. Humanity is not destined to catastrophic ends but made to thrive with joyful hope and love.
Together, we can and we will build a better world for everyone, everywhere. So take a stand by making your voice heard. Demand justice and peace for Palestine and Israel, and Mohammad and our One human family.
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/21/world/video/palestinian-boy-emotional-message-food-aid-gaza-digvid
Hope and Justice For All
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Matt Till 