ISLAMABAD: In a stirring and deeply emotional open letter titled “A Scream from the Dying-alive Children of Gaza”, Pakistani siblings Ubaidah al Fidhdha Hafia (11) and Ghulam Bishar Hafi (13) have delivered a powerful message to Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rooted in compassion and outrage, the letter cuts through geopolitical rhetoric and draws the world’s attention to the devastating toll of war on Gaza’s youngest and weakest victims, according to a statement issued on Saturday.
“Donald Trump. Benjamin Netanyahu. You both know the truth of ‘all-echoed-all-around’—the harrowing extent of what is unfolding right now in Gaza: the ‘systematic infanticide,’ the brutal modus that rips through innocent lives,” the letter begins. It is not merely a childlike cry for help—it is a stark condemnation of silence, complicity, and over-delayed action, the statement said.
The siblings’ letter compares the ongoing atrocities in Gaza to historical humanitarian catastrophes like Rwanda, Darfur, and Kosovo—names synonymous with global failure to prevent genocide. “Unbiased voices, even UNICEF, scream this truth,” they write. “Every humanitarian on planet Earth is echoing it, again and again.”
Their appeal goes beyond politics. It is a moral indictment. The siblings ask, “How many thousands of innocent children must be ‘systematically starved to death,’ ruthlessly slaughtered, smashed, and beleaguered in the streets for it to be called an ‘infanticidal proceeding or genocidal operation’?”
They push the point further: “How many hospitals, schools, maternity homes, and kindergartens must be burnt to the ground for ‘infanticide’ or ‘genocide’ to be finally acknowledged?”
The letter is the latest in a series of bold moves by the siblings, who launched their “Voice for the Voiceless” campaign a year ago. Unlike many children of their age, Ubaidah and Ghulam Bishar are not consumed by cartoons or games—they are preoccupied with suffering, injustice, and advocacy.
Their activism began with letters—penned in their own blood, handwritten impassioned pleas to world leaders to underscore the desperation they feel. Their letters have reached foreign embassies, international organizations, and the global public. In Pakistan, they have drawn significant attention, and their campaign has struck a chord with those weary of war and injustice.
In recognition of their courage, the Palestinian Embassy in Pakistan formally honored the two siblings earlier this year. Ambassador Dr Zuhair Zaid called their activism “a powerful reminder that humanity is still alive in its purest form.” At a solemn ceremony, the ambassador said, “It is often the voices of the innocent that speak the loudest. These children are not just speaking—they are shouting on behalf of every child who cannot, naming their movement “Voice of the Voiceless”.
One of the most poignant aspects of their latest letter is its direct tone, particularly in its rebuke of the US government’s veto of a UN ceasefire resolution. “With utmost regret and apology, Mr Trump and Netanyahu, we knock on the door of your innate cores of conscience, if they exist there at all.”
This moral clarity has resonated far beyond Pakistan. International human rights groups, Palestinian advocacy organizations, and peace activists have amplified the siblings’ words, sharing the letter across social media and calling on governments to review, reevaluate, and revise their stance on Gaza’s children crisis.
Their letter ends not with blame, but with a challenge—a call for moral courage. “President Trump and Netanyahu, you bear the crushing responsibility. Show us the moral courage of a leader.”
As their campaign continues, one thing is clear—Ubaidah and Ghulam Bishar are not isolatedly speaking for Gaza. They are speaking for every child whose cries have been ignored, whose stories remain untold, and whose innocence is destroyed by adult conflicts.
Their message is not just to Trump or Netanyahu. It is to all of us. And it remains impossible to ignore.
