Faten Madhoun, a mother of seven and the leader of the largest soup kitchen in northern Gaza, paints a harrowing picture of life under siege, detailing the systematic starvation and destruction of her community. More than two months have passed since Israel hermetically sealed Gaza’s borders, prohibiting the entry of food, water, and essential aid, effectively weaponizing hunger against its two million inhabitants, half of whom are children.
Each morning, Madhoun’s focus narrows to the singular task of feeding the hundreds who depend on her soup kitchen for survival. With supplies dwindling, meats, fruits, and vegetables have become luxuries of the past. The mere discovery of a can of beans is now considered a victory. The pervasive smell of woodsmoke offers the only solace in a shattered neighborhood that once echoed with the laughter of schoolchildren.
Madhoun asserts that Israel broke a ceasefire agreement, with the approval of the Trump administration, and reimposed a total siege on Gaza on March 2nd. Humanitarian agencies warn that starvation has reached a breaking point. United Nations reports indicate approximately 10,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children since January, including 1,600 cases of severe acute malnutrition, placing their very survival at risk.
Every meal provided, she insists, is an act of defiance against the engineered starvation that has become a constant presence. This starvation, according to legal experts and human rights groups, is a component of genocide, aimed at erasing the population of Gaza. The evidence is visible in the sunken eyes of emaciated children, the quiet desperation replacing laughter, the weakened hospital patients, and the pleas of mothers whose breast milk has dried up due to stress and hunger.
Madhoun recounts the story of Hiba, an eight-year-old girl who arrived alone, bowl in hand, after a doctor advised her that she urgently needed food to survive. Unable to offer her anything else, Madhoun gave her own dinner.
The starvation in Gaza is not accidental, she insists, but deliberately engineered. Israel has systematically blocked access to basic necessities and destroyed Gaza’s food infrastructure, including bakeries, farms, and the entire fishing sector. She highlights that Israel has controlled Gaza’s foodways and borders for decades.
Despite warnings from the United Nations and numerous humanitarian organizations, Israel’s defense minister has declared that the country will continue to block the entry of lifesaving supplies into Gaza.
Inside the soup kitchen, a poster of Madhoun’s late brother, chef Mahmoud Almadhoun, watches over them. Mahmoud ran the kitchen with love and dedication before being killed by an Israeli drone on November 30th. Despite his death, they continue his work, driven by the relentless hunger that offers no respite.
Madhoun describes herself as a mother, grandmother, wife, sister, and daughter, but considers her role in feeding the children who have no one else to be the most sacred.
The reality she witnesses daily is stark: children with pale skin, sores, thinning hair, and weakened bodies. These are the moments when the world isn’t watching, when the cruel consequences of their abandonment are undeniable.
Madhoun’s sons work alongside her in the chaotic kitchen. She needs them close, not just for assistance, but to keep an eye on them, unsure of what threats lurk in Gaza, where danger is constant and invisible. The ever-present military drones buzz overhead.
She recalls a time when journalists were welcomed, believing that media coverage would pressure Israel to stop its atrocities. Now, a chilling fear has taken hold. The attention they once sought now feels like a threat, making them targets. Israel’s targeting of journalists, aid workers, and essential services like the soup kitchen has become a grim reality. Death is everywhere, inescapable and inevitable.
Over 90% of Gaza’s population has been violently displaced by Israel in the past 19 months, and communities have been systematically destroyed. Many, including Madhoun’s family, are refugees, expelled from their homes during Israel’s establishment in 1948.
Now, in addition to starvation, they face the threat of being driven out of their homeland entirely. Madhoun cites Israel’s finance minister’s declaration that what remains of Gaza will be “totally destroyed” in the coming months, and that the surviving population will be “concentrated” in a small area along the border with Egypt.
The government is preparing to forcibly relocate them to third countries, a process euphemistically referred to as “voluntary transfer” or “migration,” aligning with President Trump’s vision.
Israel has also announced a plan to take control over aid distribution using private companies, a move condemned by the U.N. and aid groups. They warn that this would allow Israel to weaponize aid further, resulting in “de facto internment conditions” for the displaced population.
Madhoun implores President Trump and the international community to intervene immediately to end Israel’s siege and plans to drive them out of Gaza. She emphasizes that their lives are in their hands. The situation is a cruel, man-made humanitarian catastrophe. Immediate action is needed to force Israel to allow the unrestricted entry of food, medicine, and essential aid to end the unimaginable suffering.
The article presents a devastating account of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, highlighting the deliberate starvation of the population and the imminent threat of displacement, appealing to the international community for immediate intervention. The stark details of the suffering, the deliberate nature of the actions, and the personal stories of resilience paint a grim picture of a population on the brink.
