Israel rejects claims of large-scale starvation in Gaza
In the heart of the Middle East, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has escalated into a severe humanitarian crisis, with food shortages and starvation becoming a daily reality for many Gazans, particularly children[1][2][3]. The dispute over who is responsible for this worsening crisis is complex and multi-faceted, involving operational restrictions, security concerns, and political conflict.
On one side, Israeli officials and their allies, including the United States, place the blame largely on Hamas. They contend that the Palestinian political group is engineering a "man-made shortage" by blocking or diverting aid and perpetuating the conflict[1]. Israel argues that it is not causing famine but that Hamas's actions are responsible for the current humanitarian conditions[2].
However, Palestinian authorities, international organizations, and humanitarian workers argue that Israeli-imposed blockades, restrictions, and military operations are major factors worsening food shortages and starvation in Gaza[1][2][3]. The United Nations has noted that many humanitarian movements inside Gaza are denied or impeded by Israeli restrictions, exacerbating the crisis[2].
The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, with hospitals overwhelmed and many not fully operational due to shortages of fuel, medicine, and equipment[3][4]. Aid organizations confirm this, stating that a growing "risk of famine" is looming[1]. International groups are advocating for increased aid access and a ceasefire to end the crisis.
Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Doha since July 6 in search of an elusive truce, with each side blaming the other for refusing to budge on their key demands. President Isaac Herzog of Israel claims that Israel is acting "according to international law" in Gaza, while France has warned of the growing "risk of famine" and blamed the blockade imposed by Israel.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the US and Israel, began distributing aid in Gaza in May. However, aid agencies report that permissions from Israel are still limited, and coordination to safely move trucks to where they are needed is a major challenge in an active war zone. The UN, according to GHF, has a capacity and operational problem and needs more collaboration to deliver life-saving aid.
Israel denies accusations of causing food shortages in Gaza, instead accusing Hamas of deliberately creating a humanitarian crisis. In New York, the Committee to Protect Journalists has accused Israel of "starving Gazan journalists into silence," after Agence France-Presse reporters in Gaza said they were all affected by the lack of food.
The US top Middle East envoy is heading to Europe for talks on a possible Gaza ceasefire and an aid corridor. The international community, including over 100 aid and humanitarian groups, has called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings, and the free flow of aid through UN-led mechanisms.
In Khan Younis, in Gaza's south, residents have told AFP how they battled to get food aid, with one man calling it "a catastrophic scene and a real famine." Doctors and aid agencies have reported increasing cases of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza. The World Health Organization's head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said that a "large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving."
The conflict in Gaza continues to escalate, with both sides blaming each other for the worsening humanitarian crisis. The international community urges both parties to come to the negotiating table and find a peaceful solution to end the suffering of the people of Gaza.
- The escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East has led to a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with food shortages and starvation becoming daily realities, particularly for children.
- The responsibility for this worsening crisis is controversial, with Israeli officials and their allies accusing Hamas of blocking or diverting aid to engineer a "man-made shortage," while Palestinian authorities, international organizations, and humanitarian workers attribute the issue to Israeli-imposed blockades, restrictions, and military operations.
- In the midst of this conflict, the topic of health-and-wellness and nutrition has become increasingly important, with aid organizations confirming a growing "risk of famine" in Gaza and doctors and aid agencies reporting increasing cases of malnutrition and starvation.
- The ongoing dispute has brought politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice into focus, with the international community urging both parties to come to the negotiating table and find a peaceful solution to end the suffering and ensure access to basic necessities like food-and-drink for the people of Gaza.
