This qualitative study presents testimonies from thirty displaced mothers in Khan Younis, Gaza, collected between January 2025 and February 2025, describing their efforts to feed their children amid severe food shortages. The accounts reveal mothers’ emotional distress caused by children’s hunger and malnutrition. Six themes emerged, including the perception of starvation as a tool of control, feelings of helplessness, and the visibility of suffering through children’s bodies. The narratives suggest that hunger contributes to the breakdown of family life and the erosion of future prospects. These experiences reflect medical and legal reports documenting how deprivation generates widespread psychological and social harm.
