Gaza children want to die in hope of eating in heaven

The recent announcement of a famine in Gaza is “not surprising” — but the reality is even more dire, says Shaima al-Obeidi, senior media manager at Save the Children. “Gaza children have told me they want to die so they can eat in heaven,” she said. Shaima al-Obeidi said she was in Gaza during Ramadan, on March 2, when the flow of aid suddenly stopped. “There was a sense of joy in Gaza that day, because lettuce leaves had been available in the market for the first time in days. Everyone was discussing whether to make a salad for iftar.” But within a few days, the situation came to a head. Within a few days, the supply of protein and meat was exhausted. Then within a few weeks, there was no fresh fruit or vegetables. Within a month, flour was also exhausted, and what was available was three times the normal price. “People were eating grass, eating leaves,” says Shaima. The most tragic part comes when she says: “Children told me that they wanted to die so that they could at least eat in heaven.” Shaima al-Obaidi claims that if the situation continues, Gaza will soon become a city without people. And it is not just Hamas or Israel that are responsible for such a situation—all states that have silently watched the massacre and not protested are responsible.