In the heart of this privileged world, the people of Gaza are dying under the weight of one of the most horrific humanitarian crises in modern history. Hunger in the Strip is no longer just a crisis — it has become a blade tearing into the bodies of children, while the cries of the starving go unheard amid a shameful global silence.
On the occasion of World Hunger Day, marked every year on May 28, we remind the world that hunger in Gaza is a systematic crime committed in full view and hearing of all. While the occupying state enjoys food abundance, the people of Gaza are denied even the crumbs of life, dying of starvation after months of total blockade.
Fatima, a four-year-old girl, is one of thousands of children at risk of dying from hunger. Her small body grew weaker with each passing day until she drew her last breath. Her mother, her voice choked with tears, says: “Hunger sweeps through us all before the shells even land. Sunken eyes search tirelessly for a morsel of bread among the rubble of destruction.”
The tragedy of hunger in Gaza is not new.
The tragedy of hunger in Gaza is not the result of the current total closure alone — history bears witness to Israel’s ongoing crimes against humanity. Even before the Israeli assault in October 2023, the Strip was already crushed by extreme poverty, crippling unemployment, and an almost complete lack of food security — all of which have been exacerbated by the latest aggression.
Even before the Israeli assault in October 2023, the Gaza Strip was already mired in extreme poverty, crippling unemployment, and an almost complete lack of food security — all of which were worsened by the latest aggression.
According to a report issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on February 22, 2023, more than 60% of Gaza’s population was in need of humanitarian assistance. Restrictions on the movement of Palestinians and the flow of goods were among the main drivers of this alarmingly high figure, as the land borders surrounding Gaza remain sealed.
These restrictions intensified following the blockade imposed by Israeli authorities in 2007, which also banned all air and sea access in and out of the Strip.
A 2023 UNRWA report revealed a sharp deterioration in food security since the 2007 blockade: 63% of Gaza’s residents suffered from food insecurity and depended on international aid, while 81.5% lived in poverty. By the end of the third quarter of 2022, overall unemployment stood at 46.6%, soaring to 62.3% among young people aged 15–29.
The report also noted that about 95% of Gaza’s population lacks access to clean water, while average electricity supply stood at only 11 hours per day as of July 2023. This ongoing energy shortage has had a severe impact on the delivery of essential services, particularly in health, water, and sanitation. It has also further weakened Gaza’s fragile economy, especially in the industrial and agricultural sectors, leading to widespread poverty.
Restricted access to nutritious food has caused a sharp rise in health complications linked to malnutrition, such as stunted growth, micronutrient deficiencies, and chronic illnesses. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the national prevalence of low birth weight between 2019 and 2020 was 10.7% (9.1% in Gaza).
Restricted access to nutritious food has also led to a significant increase in malnutrition-related complications, including stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and chronic diseases.
A World Health Organization report recorded high rates of anemia among girls and women, reaching 33.5% among female secondary school students over 15 years old and 31% among women of reproductive age in 2019.
Hunger in Gaza Reaches Record Levels, Threatening Millions of Lives
Since October 2023, the Gaza Strip has faced one of its worst recent food crises, including the collapse of its food production infrastructure. This has turned the situation in the besieged territory from acute food insecurity into outright famine.
In this context, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said: “Hunger is spreading in Gaza, and people are exhausted… We can expect that if no aid arrives in the coming weeks, people will not die from the bombardment — they will die from lack of food.”
“We can expect that if no aid arrives in the coming weeks, people will not die from the bombardment — they will die from lack of food.”
In an interview with the BBC, Lazzarini stressed that food and humanitarian aid are being used as tools to achieve political or military objectives in Gaza, adding: “There is no doubt we are talking about widespread atrocities that could amount to genocide. There are many indicators pointing in that direction.”
He also referred to reports from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — a joint initiative of UN agencies, relief organizations, and governments that assesses famine conditions — noting that according to the latest update, Gaza is on the brink of famine. More than two million people, nearly half of them children, are suffering from acute food insecurity.
According to the IPC Global Initiative – Special Brief – Gaza Strip issued on November 20, 2024, it is projected that between early November 2024 and the end of April 2025, about 1.95 million people — roughly 91% of the population — will face high levels of food insecurity, falling within Phase 3 (Crisis) or above of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
An estimated 354,000 people (16% of the population) are expected to face catastrophic conditions (Phase 5 – Catastrophe), while over 876,000 will be in an emergency situation (Phase 4 – Emergency), and around 728,000 will fall under the crisis category (Phase 3 – Crisis).
Projected Situation Map and Population Breakdown (Nov 1, 2024 – Apr 30, 2025) – IPC Special Brief
In this context, Human Rights Watch stated on its website that the Israeli government is using the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the occupied Gaza Strip. The Israeli army has deliberately blocked the delivery of water, food, and fuel, obstructed humanitarian aid, and appears to be bulldozing farmland, depriving civilians of the essentials needed for survival. On October 8, 2023, Israel officially announced its intent to deny Gaza food, water, and energy.
A study titled “From Acute Food Insecurity to Famine: How the 2023/2024 War on Gaza Turned Back the Clock on SDG 2 to End Hunger” confirmed that the widespread destruction and devastating human losses from the ongoing war have severely damaged — and in many cases destroyed — farmland and the entire food production infrastructure, including bakeries, mills, and food processing facilities, leading to the collapse of Gaza’s food system.
The study stated that, in order to cope with catastrophic levels of hunger, some families in Gaza have resorted to eating animal feed and wild weeds to survive, amid the systematic use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.
95% of Gaza’s farmland is no longer usable
The latest geospatial assessment conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre revealed that less than 5% of the agricultural land area in the Gaza Strip remains available for cultivation, further worsening the capacity to produce food and exacerbating the risk of famine.
All the available food stocks in the Strip have been depleted due to the ongoing closure of border crossings.
FAO reported that the situation is particularly dire in Rafah and the northern governorates, where nearly all agricultural land is inaccessible. Using high-resolution satellite imagery compared with pre-conflict data, the assessment revealed that 71.2% of greenhouses in Gaza have been damaged, along with 82.8% of agricultural wells across the Strip.
Food prices soar by over 1,000% as stocks run out and crossings remain closed
On April 25, 2025, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which supports families in Gaza, announced that all its available food stocks in the Strip had been depleted due to the ongoing closure of border crossings. It also reported that the prices of basic food items in Gaza have risen by more than 1,000% compared to pre-war levels, according to the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa).
Has the time not come for the voice of conscience to rise above the silence of the world? Has the time not come for serious and decisive action to save what remains of innocent lives? Gaza cannot endure any more waiting — the international community has no choice but to act, now, without delay.
