Children Getting Killed In Gaza A Blot On Humanity, Says Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi

New Delhi: Nobel Peace Laureate and child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi has expressed grave concern over the plight of children in Gaza.

In a post on LinkedIn, he said innocent children are being killed, maimed, orphaned, and forced to starve and die in the conflict-ridden region. “Families are going days without food. Infants are dying not because food or medicine is unavailable, but because they are being systematically denied access. Health systems have collapsed. Supplies have crumbled. Water is scarce. Fuel is gone. Hope is dying,” he stated.

Satyarthi, known for his relentless efforts to prevent child labour said starving babies are perishing in their mothers’ arms, while aid trucks sit blocked at borders. “This is the gruesome face of a war that has no moral justification,” he said.

Pointing towards last week’s reports of the United Nations, Satyarthi said Gaza stands on the brink of famine. A quarter of the population already faces famine conditions, and over 3,20,000 children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition. In Gaza City alone, the child malnutrition rate has quadrupled in the last two months, he said.

Satyarthi said he does not have the authority to propose a definitive solution to the historical conflict between Israel and Palestine, he said the brutal retaliation on Gaza or any violence is unjustifiable. “In October 2023, we, 103 Nobel Laureates from diverse fields jointly made an appeal to the international community to make all efforts for safety and wellbeing of Israeli and Palestinian children. Yet, sadly, the political leaders have failed them,” he said

The Nobel laureate said children bear no responsibility for war. “They do not drop bombs or launch rockets. They do not set policies. They hold no historical grievances. So why must they pay the ultimate price for the failures and hatred of adults?,” he asked.

Satyarthi stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire to stop the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza. “All blockades restricting food, water, fuel, and medical aid must be lifted immediately. Local food and grocery supply systems, bakeries, farms, and small vendors must be urgently restored. Aid workers must be protected, never targeted or obstructed. Those weaponising starvation, blocking aid, or denying access must be held accountable under international law,” he suggested.

The child rights activist who has helped over one lakh children said the time for merely expressing concern, organising seminars, showing sympathy, or issuing press statements is over. “We must choose between complicity and compassion. Indifference, apathy, or neutrality amounts to betrayal of humanity. Silence will be recorded as a crime in history, neither forgotten nor forgiven,” he said.