In a dark corner of his displacement tent, the elderly Salim Asfour lies down, having been forced to leave his town of Abasan al-Jadida east of Khan Younis after the escalation of Israeli occupation attacks in the area. He no longer knows if he is alive or just a shadow of the man who once filled the neighborhood with his call to prayer from the Mosque of the Companions. A recent video recorded him stating that he has not had a piece of bread in five days, and his voice, which used to raise the call to prayer, has faded to a whisper barely audible, as he can no longer stand due to hunger and illness, with his weight dropping from 80 to 40 kilograms as a result of the systematic starvation policy implemented by the occupying forces.

The image of the frail and exhausted elderly man spread across social media platforms, turning into a shocking witness to the rampant famine in the sector. The photo sparked widespread outrage among activists, who considered that his sunken body is not just a sign of malnutrition, but a stark embodiment of a systematic starvation crime pushing the people of Gaza towards a slow death in broad daylight. Many Twitter users confirmed that these scenes are not from movies or fake images created using artificial intelligence, but a bitter reality that residents live daily.

One user wrote: "Honestly, I didn't believe the photo; I thought it was fabricated until I contacted one of his neighbors who confirmed to me that it is real... This is Uncle Salim, the muezzin of the Mosque of the Companions." They pointed out that this is happening at a time when American, Israeli, and Arab media are denying the existence of famine in Gaza, speaking of aid entering and "expected improvement," but they affirmed that "the hungry do not lie... How can they lie?".

One blogger noted that the man who has lost his voice and ability to walk has nothing left of the dawn call to prayer, not even a cry to complain about his hunger, as he lives under a siege similar to what the Companions endured, surrounded by a nation numbering in the millions, yet silent and submissive, as if it has no connection to his suffering. Activists see that what Uncle Salim is experiencing is not an exception, but a model for thousands of cases that embody a tragic reality under a systematic Israeli starvation policy, supported by the United States and European silence.

One person wrote: "Elderly Salim Asfour... a living testimony to the hunger of Gaza and the pain of the siege. His body encapsulates the extent of the suffering and severity of hunger that the residents of the sector are exposed to." Another added: "It is not just a lack of food, but a calculated slow death. This is not a humanitarian crisis, but a war crime committed in full view of the world and its silence." Many confirmed that famine does not need official reports or statistics, for "it is enough to look into Uncle Salim's eyes," as one said, for the world to realize the extent of the tragedy.

The photos highlighted that Uncle Salim has not eaten bread for five days and has become unable to stand except with great difficulty, with his bones protruding from extreme emaciation and hunger. One activist concluded by saying: "This is not just a hungry man, but a living testimony to the world's lies, and that the aid being promoted for entry into Gaza only exists on paper, while the residents suffer from real hunger."