UN Warns of Starvation Crisis in Gaza as One in Three Goes Days Without Food

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a dire warning that nearly a third of Gaza’s population is enduring days without food, as malnutrition surges across the war-torn region. The WFP reported that 90,000 women and children urgently need treatment for malnutrition, with the Hamas-run health ministry confirming nine additional deaths from starvation on Friday, bringing the total to 122 since the conflict began.

International alarm over Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has intensified this week. Germany, France, and the UK jointly called for Israel to “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid” and end the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza, urging compliance with international humanitarian law. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the global response as marked by “indifference and inaction,” highlighting a lack of compassion and humanity. He noted that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food aid since May 27, when the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing supplies.

Israel, which controls all aid entering Gaza, insists there are no restrictions and blames Hamas for the crisis. However, a former US security contractor with the GHF, Anthony Aguilar, told the BBC he witnessed “war crimes” by Israeli forces and US contractors, including the use of live ammunition and tank fire on civilians at food distribution sites. The GHF dismissed Aguilar’s claims as “categorically false,” alleging he was a disgruntled former employee. Amid the crisis, Israel has signaled it may allow airdrops of aid into Gaza in the coming days, a move UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described as “far too late” but one the UK would support. Starmer also announced plans to accelerate the evacuation of Gaza’s children needing urgent medical care to the UK. However, aid agencies have criticized airdrops as inefficient, and a Jordanian official told the BBC that Israel has not yet granted permission for planned drops by the UAE and Jordan. The crisis follows the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release talks in Qatar, with the US and Israel withdrawing their teams. US President Donald Trump claimed Hamas “didn’t want a deal,” while a senior Hamas official told the BBC that mediators indicated negotiations had not failed, with Israel’s delegation expected to return to Doha next week. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, has led to over 59,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. A total blockade imposed by Israel in March, followed by a resumed offensive, has exacerbated shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, displacing most of Gaza’s population and damaging or destroying over 90% of homes.

As international pressure mounts, France announced it will recognize a Palestinian state in September, a decision that drew criticism from Israel and the US. In the UK, over a third of MPs signed a letter urging Starmer to follow suit, but he emphasized that such a move would require a broader plan for a two-state solution.