The World Food Programme (WFP), a UN affiliate, announced on Friday that after two and a half years of war, all food reserves in Gaza have been exhausted. The last supplies were delivered to community kitchens providing hot meals, which are expected to run out of ingredients within days. The WFP emphasized that Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid since March 2, 2025, shutting down access routes to the Palestinian enclave. This catastrophic situation, with no steady source of nourishment for the population, has weakened local markets and food distribution networks, leaving the health implications equally alarming.
On Tuesday, Khalil Degran, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health, highlighted that the aid cutoff endangers the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients. He urgently called for polio vaccines to avert a looming disaster and noted that around 60,000 children are already showing signs of malnutrition. The blockade's impact extends beyond food, threatening access to essential medicines and basic hygiene resources like water and sanitation. Controversial statements from Israeli officials have fueled accusations of deliberate starvation.
In August 2024, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested it might be "just and moral" to let two million Gaza residents starve until Israeli hostages are returned. However, he acknowledged global opposition to such a policy. Speaking at the Katif Conference for National Responsibility in Yad Binyamin, Smotrich argued that Israel should control aid distribution to undermine Hamas, claiming that providing aid while fighting the group is contradictory. He advocated for minimal assistance—limited to food, medicine, and basic hygiene—describing Gaza as a war zone for the foreseeable future.
Human rights experts and legal bodies have condemned Israel's actions. In July 2024, specialists accused Israel of conducting a "deliberate and targeted starvation campaign," labeling it a form of "genocidal violence." The International Criminal Court's prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing "starvation as a weapon of war," among other charges. Netanyahu denied the allegations, asserting that any food shortages in Gaza result from Hamas stealing supplies, not Israeli obstruction.
Compounding the crisis, the WFP faces severe funding cuts from major donors like the United States and other Western nations. A memo from WFP head Stephen Omollo warned of a 40% reduction in expected donations for 2025, necessitating a 30% staff cut affecting up to 6,000 jobs. As Gaza teeters on the edge of catastrophe, the international community's role becomes even more crucial, as it faces mounting pressure to act before starvation claims countless more lives.