As famine tightens its grip on the Gaza Strip under the Israeli blockade, obtaining food has become a perilous endeavour. Even those who escape Israeli fire face deadly accidents or severe injuries in the struggle to survive. One of the latest victims is a child named Jamal, who suffered not only from hunger but also from burns when boiling food spilled onto his back while queuing for a meagre meal.

Jamal’s mother, Jihan Abd Rabbo, recounted that her son went early one morning to collect lentils that had just arrived in their area. “Suddenly, we heard his cousins screaming: Jamal is burning! Jamal is burning!” she said. When they reached him, he was lying on the ground, screaming, ‘Mama, I’m dying!’ His skin was badly burned from his neck down to his lower back, including half of his right hand. The injury occurred amidst overcrowded conditions, when a pot of boiling lentils tipped over onto him.

The young boy endures excruciating pain that painkillers cannot alleviate. He has been taking multiple pills daily, yet finds little relief. The sweltering heat inside the family’s tent and the proliferation of insects worsen his suffering, leaving him restless and agitated. His mother tearfully admitted, “I’ve suffered more than him,” as she navigates the endless struggle to care for him amid collapsing health services.

Every two days, she wakes before dawn to take Jamal to the hospital, hoping for early treatment and bandage changes, only to wait behind dozens of other patients. The family, like countless others in Gaza, survives under extreme financial hardship, with no income or work, while the blockade prevents essential supplies from reaching them. Jamal’s mother prays for an end to the war, for the entry of food, and for Gaza to be rebuilt to the life it once held.

The humanitarian crisis continues to escalate. Border crossings remain closed, aid convoys are blocked, and hospitals across Gaza report daily deaths from hunger and malnutrition, which have now claimed 266 lives, including 112 children. On Tuesday alone, three more adults died directly from starvation, underscoring the lethal consequences of the ongoing siege and blockade.