Man-made famine: On the state of Gaza  

For months, international rights groups, aid organisations and doctors who served in Gaza have warned that the enclave was on the brink of famine. Heartbreaking stories and images of starvation poured out as Gaza’s civil defence groups repeatedly told the world that children were dying every day due to malnutrition. But Israel, waging a genocidal war in Gaza for the past 22 months, dismissed these reports as lies, while its western allies did little beyond expressing token concerns. Last week, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed body, confirmed that an entirely “man-made famine” is unfolding in Gaza’s largest city and its surrounding areas, the first officially declared famine in West Asia. At least one in five households faces extreme food shortages, while a third or more of all children are acutely malnourished. The IPC also stated that at least two in every 10,000 people die daily from starvation or the deadly combination of malnutrition and diseases. Yet, if anyone expected such a devastating report by a reputed organisation to have had an impact on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war-thirsty regime, they were mistaken.

Israel has long imposed restrictions on goods entering Gaza, that has been under Israel’s blockade since 2007; it tightened those restrictions after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. But in March 2025, after Mr. Netanyahu broke a ceasefire, Israel imposed a total three-month blockade on all goods entering Gaza. When it began allowing a limited amount of food, a new U.S. and Israel-backed organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) replaced the previous UN-led food distribution system. The blockade, along with Israel’s direct control of food distribution, plunged hundreds of thousands into acute hunger. When desperate, hungry Palestinians rushed to the limited food centres run by the GHF, they were shot down by Israeli troops and GHF volunteers in the name of crowd control. The UN estimates that more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed at food centres since May. Despite mounting international outrage and allegations of war crimes, and Hamas’s acceptance of the latest ceasefire proposal put forward by Qatar and Egypt, Israel has intensified attacks on Gaza city in preparation for a new offensive. What is unfolding now in Gaza goes far beyond Israel’s stated aims of defeating Hamas and releasing hostages. The growing body of evidence points to an intent to destroy Palestinian life and society in Gaza itself. The most brutal of crimes are being committed against 2.3 million people — in full view of the world. The world cannot allow Israel to continue devastating Gaza any further.