Tunis: Tunisian President Kais Saied presented disturbing images of starving children in Gaza during a meeting on Tuesday with Masad Boulos, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump on Arab, Middle East, and African affairs, the presidency said in a statement.
According to Anadolu Agency, a video released by the Tunisian presidency showed Saied greeting Boulos at the Carthage Presidential Palace before displaying several photos of emaciated children from Gaza. In one image, a crying child is seen eating sand with a spoon. Saied addressed Boulos, highlighting the dire conditions: 'A child is crying, eating sand in occupied Palestine-in the 21st century. He had nothing else to eat.'
Saied continued to present more images, including a photo of a malnourished child with protruding bones and another of a child on the verge of death. 'This is a crime against all of humanity,' Saied stated, declaring such situations unacceptable.
The conversation turned to international law, with Saied questioning its relevance in such suffering and denouncing Israeli attacks beyond Gaza. 'Palestinians are being bombed everywhere, not just in Gaza but throughout Palestine,' Saied asserted.
Saied emphasized the need for global action, holding up images of Palestinians carrying dead infants and accusing Israeli forces of atrocities. 'These are infants. What did the Palestinian people do wrong?' he asked, urging for bold decisions and the recognition of Palestinian rights to self-determination.
The president accused Israeli forces of using starvation as a tool of genocide and reiterated that all Palestinian land belongs to its people. He condemned the division and fragmentation of Palestinian territories by settlers under Zionist forces' protection.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gaza's Health Ministry reported a rise in deaths from famine and malnutrition since October 2023, with 101 deaths, including 80 children, following recent fatalities. The territory faces severe humanitarian conditions after prolonged border closures, and Israel has delayed implementing a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
Israel's military campaign has resulted in over 59,100 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children, devastated Gaza's infrastructure, and caused severe food shortages. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders for war crimes, and Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.