Gaza famine "unlike anything in this century" as Israel’s blockade starves children to death
By isabelle // 2025-07-30
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  • Gaza faces the worst famine of the century, with 147 starvation deaths, including 88 children, as Israel’s blockade cuts off food and aid.
  • More than 500,000 people endure famine-like conditions, while hospitals collapse under malnourished patients, with doctors fainting from hunger.
  • Israel restricts aid to dangerous checkpoints, forcing civilians to risk gunfire for food; hundreds have been shot dead.
  • Britain and France threaten to recognize Palestinian statehood unless Israel lifts the blockade, amid global condemnation.
  • UN agencies warn thousands will die without immediate aid, calling Gaza’s famine a deliberate strategy of war.
The Gaza Strip has descended into the "worst-case scenario of famine," according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a crisis "unlike anything seen in this century." With 147 starvation deaths reported by Gaza’s Ministry of Health—including 88 children, 14 of whom perished in the last 24 hours alone—the situation has reached catastrophic levels due to Israel’s tightening blockade and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid. Civilians, including medical staff, are collapsing from hunger while desperate families risk gunfire to reach food distribution points. The international community, including Britain and France, is now threatening diplomatic action against Israel as evidence mounts of a man-made humanitarian disaster.

A famine engineered by war

The IPC’s latest alert confirms that Gaza has breached two of the three famine thresholds, with food consumption and malnutrition rates spiraling out of control. More than 500,000 people—nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population—are now enduring famine-like conditions, while the rest face emergency hunger levels. The crisis has been exacerbated by Israel’s increasingly restrictive blockades, which have choked off food, fuel, and medical supplies, turning Gaza into an open-air prison of starvation. Hospitals, already crippled by nearly two years of war, are now overwhelmed by malnourished infants and adults too weak to survive even basic treatments. Doctors report fainting from hunger while treating skeletal children, some of whom weigh less at three months old than they did at birth. "The expression ‘skin and bones’ doesn’t do it justice," said Dr. Nick Maynard, a British surgeon who recently worked in Gaza. "This is man-made starvation being used as a weapon of war."

Aid blocked, civilians gunned down

Despite hollow claims from Israel’s military that it facilitates aid, evidence shows a systematic effort to prevent food from reaching civilians. Before March, aid was distributed through hundreds of U.N.-led sites. Now, Israel has restricted deliveries to a handful of dangerous checkpoints, forcing Palestinians to walk miles under gunfire. Hundreds have been shot dead by Israeli forces while attempting to access food, with survivors describing soldiers firing directly into crowds. Hamas official Ismail al-Thawabta condemned Israel’s approval of foreign airdrops as a "stunt," stating, "The Gaza Strip does not need flying aerobatics. It needs an open humanitarian corridor." Meanwhile, the few remaining markets sell flour at $30 per kilogram, which is an impossible price for Gaza’s unemployed masses. The result is an agonizing choice: starve slowly or risk death by bullet to reach food that may already be gone.

International condemnation grows

Britain and France have warned they will formally recognize Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel ends its blockade and commits to a ceasefire. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ultimatum follows mounting global outrage over Gaza’s suffering, with France calling Israel’s actions "unconscionable." Even the U.S., Israel’s staunchest ally, has acknowledged the starvation crisis, although it refuses to endorse Palestinian statehood. UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and other agencies warn that without immediate, unrestricted aid, thousands more will die. "The unbearable suffering of the people of Gaza is already clear for the world to see," said Cindy McCain of the WFP. "Waiting for official confirmation of famine to provide life-saving food aid they desperately need is unconscionable." Gaza’s famine is not an accident; it is a calculated strategy of collective punishment by Israel, designed to break Palestinian resistance through starvation. With children perishing at a rate of one every 80 minutes and hospitals unable to treat the emaciated, the world can no longer look away. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co NYTimes.com UNICEF.org Reuters.com
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