Why must the children suffer?
Narrated by Ted Miller
“Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
I can’t look away from the images of suffering children in Gaza — brutally injured, homeless, and on the brink of death by starvation.
I don’t want to look. It’s uncomfortable. No… more than just uncomfortable; it hits me with a deep sorrow when I acknowledge so much suffering is allowed to continue day after devastating day.
Children crying, missing limbs, emaciated, dead. Babies held by anguished parents crying for help, crying in desperation, crying with the pain of loss only a parent can feel.
Why is the world not outraged by these images?
Perhaps it is because the world doesn’t see them. Images of death are too disturbing. Images of starvation cause readers to turn away. They make us uncomfortable.
But not seeing it doesn’t make it any less real. The deep and personal anguish of losing each child gets lost in the overwhelming violence against an entire group of innocent people. Instead of describing the horrors of children killed in war, the media describes the death and destruction in abstract, neutral terms, as if describing a sporting event instead of disproportionate violence against an entire population.
More than 50,000 killed since the start of the war
Less than five percent of agricultural land in Gaza is usable
Impersonal headlines like these obfuscate the human cost of suffering.
I challenge you to search for images using the term “children killed Gaza” — then look (really look) and ask yourself whether this suffering, this pain and brutality, is an acceptable cost of war. When I look at those images, I can’t keep from crying. Yet my sorrow is nothing like the sorrow of Palestinian parents. Images of starvation, death, and dismemberment are more powerful than any headline can possibly convey. They should be at the top of the newsfeed.
On March 2, 2025, Israel again blocked all food, water, and medicine from entering Gaza. Experienced international aid organizations were ready and waiting to help but were prevented from entering Gaza. And while they waited, more children died.
In mid-May, the Israeli government authorized some aid to resume, but with a new system that has been an utter failure. There are very few distribution locations, people desperate to feed their families must travel miles with little means to carry heavy sacks of food, and hundreds have been killed or wounded by IDF soldiers as they approach aid stations, claiming the groups of starving people are somehow “menacing” or “suspicious.” On June 19, for example, 51 people were killed near Khan Younis when they were just trying to get food. Shooting people near aid stations has become an almost daily occurrence.
The Israeli government says the goal of the blockade is to force Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal, including the release of all remaining hostages. They say that aid must be limited to protect food and medicine from being used by Hamas. They say that shooting Gazans clamoring for food is somehow self-defense.
Punishing innocent Gazans for over eighteen months has yet to influence Hamas to agree to Israel’s demands. The stated goal of eliminating Hamas seems as unachievable as ever.
The violence is not bringing peace.
So, the death and the suffering continue. And so does the bombing, the shooting, and the starvation. Over two million people who are not responsible for this war continue to be punished.
Starving an entire population is a violation of Article 54 of the Geneva Convention. IT IS A WAR CRIME. It is collective punishment of all Gazans, including civilian men, women, and children who are not responsible for the war. It is immoral and inhumane. It is wrong.
The children of Gaza did not attack Israel.
And after more than a year and a half, punishing the children in Gaza has failed to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The United States provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid every year, practically without condition. We must use our influence to end the violence, end the suffering, and lead the effort to restore aid to the people of Gaza. Senator Peter Welch, D-VT, recently introduced a resolution in Congress to call for aid to be restored, but a resolution in Congress without a change in policy or military support isn’t enough.
The violence must end.
When I look at those images of children in Gaza, I see my own children and grandchildren. I am reminded of the suffering of children everywhere, suffering from the effects of war, poverty, and neglect.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We have the ability to care for all of the world’s children, we just lack the will to do so.
Those of us who claim to care about the children of the world must not look away. We must acknowledge the harm and call for change. We must demand an end to the violence.
We must demand peace for the children and for our future.
Ted Miller grew up around the world but now lives in Richland with his wife. He’s a runner, actor, singer, nuclear engineer, and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Ted believes that if more people worked toward love and understanding instead of giving in to fear and divisiveness, the world would be a better place.