Doctor Who star Billie Piper has called on the public to demand “urgent action” for Palestinian children, describing the situation in Gaza as a “man-made famine”. The 42-year-old actress, best known for playing Rose Tyler in the BBC sci-fi series, shared a statement on Instagram on Friday, recalling time spent with her own children and contrasting it with the suffering of Palestinian children.
In her post, Piper wrote: “This year, these images of Palestinian children plague my mind as I consider all of the things I’m allowed to do with my kids, as these children suffer the insurmountable pain of losing the ones they love.” She accompanied the statement with a video from Al Jazeera showing orphaned Palestinian children crying during a makeshift school graduation.
Piper added: “Right now, Palestinian children in Gaza are barely surviving through unimaginable days and long nights of bombardment, starvation and fear. There is no escape from bombs falling, bullets are shot at aid collection points and too many families have lost loved ones.”
Her comments come after the UN’s World Food Programme confirmed a famine in Gaza, citing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The IPC found that over half a million people face “catastrophic conditions”, with 640,000 experiencing famine and 132,000 children at risk of death from acute malnutrition. The IPC described the famine as “man-made”, and UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher blamed “systemic obstruction by Israel”.
Israel’s military agency COGAT, responsible for aid transfers, denied the claims, calling the report “egregiously flawed”. Piper urged her followers to “spare a thought for these children who are being starved and traumatised” and to stand up “for humanity”.
