South Korean footballer Son Heung-min has made an urgent plea for donations through the World Food Programme (WFP) organisation to help Palestinians in the starved and war-battered Gaza Strip, where a hunger crisis has ensued.
In a video clip shared by the NGO over the weekend, the Tottenham Hotspurs captain spoke of the current catastrophe in the war-battered enclave, where starvation has reached heightened levels, killing people every day.
In a message delivered in Korean, Son said: "In Palestine, many families and children are suffering from extreme hunger."
The video featured Palestinians detailing their suffering due to Israel’s siege, which has prevented the entry of aid deliveries since March this year.
He continued: "I am fighting against hunger all over the world with WFP. Supporting food for many families is like giving life to them in places where there’s lots of starvation. The best gift you can give is food."
"Please donate now," he urged.
Since the siege, Israel has only allowed aid to enter Gaza via the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The US and Israeli-backed group has been slammed by NGOs as a death trap for Palestinians, as over 1,000 have been killed at aid collection sites by Israeli fire since late May.
Hunger levels have soared dramatically in recent weeks and malnutrition cases have reached catastrophic levels in the war-battered enclave. Every day, social media sites and news channels are flooded with harrowing images of emaciated Palestinians across all ages and genders.
Amid international pressure to tackle the hunger crisis, Israel on Sunday said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes.
Additionally, Israel said it would begin air-dropping food into the territory. The country, however, has vehemently rejected Palestinian and international accusations it was starving Gaza's residents, despite overwhelming evidence.
Son, who captains both Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korean national side, gained praise on social media for explicitly addressing the starvation crisis in Gaza in the video clip.
Football fans and pro-Palestinian activists also pointed to a lack of action and silence from the sport’s biggest stars over the war in Gaza, in their praise of Son.
Last year, the 33-year-old applauded the Palestinian football team for their spirit when South Korea was held to a 1-1 draw in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"I want to give a round of applause to the Palestinian team. Seeing them work so hard, even in difficult conditions, is something I think we can learn from," he said.