LAHORE: Two Pakistani siblings, Ghulam Bishar Hafi (13) and Ubaydah Al Fiddhah Hafiah (11), have issued a searing call on the occasion of UN World Humanitarian Day 2025 (UN WHD-2025), condemning the global silence over what they describe as the “systematic infanticide” of Gaza’s children.
In their joint statement, the young activists decried the “shameless over-delays” in the world’s response to the worsening crisis, calling it both a humanitarian and moral collapse. “This is no longer just a political crisis, it is a moral imperative,” they declared.
The siblings, who launched their ‘Voice for the Voiceless’ campaign last year, have chosen an unusual but symbolic form of protest, writing impassioned letters in their own blood to world leaders and humanitarian bodies. Their latest blood-written resolution describes Gaza’s children as “homeless, restless, and peaceless, on their knees before the collective conscience of the world, begging for their next breath.”
Raising stark questions, they asked, “How many thousands of innocent children must be systematically starved, slaughtered, or buried alive before the world calls it genocide? How many schools, hospitals, and maternity wards must be destroyed before the truth is acknowledged?”
Citing UNICEF figures, they warned that more than one million children remain trapped in Gaza’s 21-month-long siege, systematically denied food, medicine, and basic aid, a situation they call “a can’t-live-can’t-leave tragedy.” They likened the treatment of Gazan children to “being farmed like animals, and at times, worse than the standards set for kittens or puppies.”
The siblings’ activism has already drawn international attention.
Earlier this year, the Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Zuhair Zaid, formally honoured them for their courage. In a moving tribute, he described their campaign as “a powerful reminder that humanity is still alive in its purest form,” praising their ability to turn “pain into power, grief into hope, and silence into a voice that echoes across borders.” He added, “Your sacrifice, though small in action, is immeasurable in meaning. Your blood has mingled with the cries of the innocent.”
Their initiative, supported by their parents, Prof. Dr. Aurangzeb Hafi and Dr. Bareera N.B., extends beyond Gaza, also drawing attention to child victims of war in Ukraine, occupied Kashmir, and Myanmar. Human rights groups and peace activists have amplified their words, sharing their appeals across social media and urging governments to re-examine their policies.
At a time when war fatigue and political indifference dominate headlines, the voices of these two children have cut through, offering what many describe as a raw moral truth.
Their closing question in Monday’s appeal remains haunting: “How many more children must die before conscience outweighs filthy and inhumane geopolitics?”
