The Starvation of the Palestinian People

The Reality of Food Shortage in Gaza

An article published by UN News states that 1 in 3 people in Gaza are having to go without food for days and over 20,000 children have been treated for malnutrition at hospitals. On August 22nd, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) which is a United Nations-backed body officially declared the situation in parts of the Gaza Strip to be a Famine (Phase 5). Phase 5 is the most severe level of classification that the IPC uses. 

Phase 5 is declared when mortality caused by acute malnutrition in a specific area is evident and 1 in 5 families face “extreme lack of food and face starvation resulting in destitution”. Moreover, 2 deaths for every 10,000 people due to starvation must be evident. According to the UN, with over 1,900,000 people displaced in Gaza, people have been forced to leave their homes and all of their resources behind. According to IPC’s report, Israel had not allowed any humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from March to April. Since then, extremely low amounts of aid have been allowed to enter but it has been far from enough, with 87% of UN aid trucks being blocked from entering by the Israeli forces. 

At the end of 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.” 

UN Warns of Rising Starvation in Gaza

As an article by the Guardian stated, Gaza is under a total siege and blockage, and Israel has barely allowed any food or aid to enter in recent months, leading to a systemic starvation of the Palestinian people. It has gone on to say that “data compiled and published by Israel’s own government makes clear that it has been starving Gaza.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement, “Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.” 

Farming is impossible during continuous bombardment, and Palestinians have had no other means of providing for themselves. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, since October 2023 most fishing boats have been destroyed, and several fishermen have been killed while fishing near the shore. 1 in 5 people face starvation between May and September, due to Israel’s total siege and blockade of aid, and the Gaza Health Ministry announced that 154 people have died from malnutrition in recent weeks. Amidst global criticism for Israel’s war crimes, the Gaza Humanitarian Fund commenced operations to deliver aid in Gaza. 

Criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund

The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) is an organization backed by Israel and the United States that claims it will resolve the crisis in Gaza by providing food and aid. After continued foreign pressure and criticism, the project’s chief, a US military veteran, resigned and stated that the project did not align with “the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence,”. 

Even after numerous warnings from the United Nations that the GHF alone will not be able to provide sufficient aid to the people of Gaza, Israel has not allowed other aid groups to enter. Moreover, the UN and other aid organizations have refused to work with the GHF, stating safety concerns.

A joint statement signed by eleven human rights organizations stated, “A project led by politically connected Western security and military figures, coordinated in tandem with the Israeli government, and launched while the people of Gaza remain under total siege. It lacks any Palestinian involvement in its design or implementation.” 

Human rights organizations worldwide are demanding Israel to immediately break its siege on Gaza and allow food and aid to enter. The whole world is watching what Greta Thunberg and others have called alivestreamed genocide and starvation of the Palestinian people. 

Written by まりか