Photo/Illutration A Palestinian reacts as he waits to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City on July 28. (REUTERS)

International medical aid organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, uses a simple yet lifesaving tool to assess whether a child is at risk of starvation—calling it the “bracelet of life.”

The device is a color-coded measuring band deployed in conflict zones and disaster-stricken areas to quickly detect acute malnutrition in infants and young children.

Wrapped around the mid-upper arm, the band provides an immediate visual assessment: yellow signals a warning of malnutrition, while red indicates severe malnutrition and a life-threatening risk.

I discovered on the nongovernmental organization’s website that the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tape can be printed at actual size. Using the downloadable file with all the markings, I printed the band and cut it out.

The red zone begins at a circumference of just 11.5 centimeters, narrower than the circle I can form with my thumb and forefinger.

I was struck by the thought that a human arm could be so thin and fragile that it could seemingly just snap.

I recently came across an Asahi Shimbun report about a 7-month-old girl in northern Gaza suffering from severe malnutrition, whose MUAC measurement fell squarely in the red zone.

Her mother said, “She was a healthy baby who smiled a lot” when she was born.

The words are quietly devastating.

In Gaza, famine is spreading rapidly, compounding the toll of the ongoing conflict.

Between July 22 and 26 alone, at least 39 people reportedly died of starvation.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the despair gripping the enclave, saying many children speak of “wanting to go to heaven”—“because at least,” they say, “there is food there.”

The children of Gaza are, in other words, harboring a quiet wish to escape from a world filled with agony. The U.N. chief’s words underscored the heart-rending reality facing Gaza’s youngest victims.

Even U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged the real starvation unfolding in Gaza and signaled plans to open new food distribution centers in the blockaded territory.

All this feels like a stark reminder that the lives of Gaza’s people hang on the decisions of an often unpredictable U.S. leader, and it remains uncertain whether the situation will truly improve.

Famine must be addressed at its root. This is not a natural disaster—it is a man-made famine, the result of Israel’s actions.

—The Asahi Shimbun, July 30

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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