We know too well what it means to feel hunger, watch the young grow thin and weak, to see neighbours waste away

Influential figures sign letter demanding urgent action to feed kids

- FRAN BOWDEN and SIMON MURPHY

As survivors of the Holocaust and Jews who escaped the Nazis we cannot remain silent as hunger and deprivation threaten the lives of civilians in Gaza.

We are not comparing Israel's action in Gaza to the Nazi gas chambers. The murders of October 7th, when Jews were slaughtered in the land that promised refuge, horrified us and we understand Israel's grief.

We condemn Hamas for its genocidal goals, its taking of hostages and its contempt for both Palestinian and Jewish lives. But our anger should not lead us to dehumanize those we fear, as we know where that can lead. Every human life, Jewish, Palestinian, or any other, has equal value.

We support Israel's right to defend its people. But that defence must not result in the slow death of Palestinian children from hunger. We know too well what it means to feel hunger, watch the young grow thin and weak and to see neighbours waste away.