International community must stop weaponization of food and starvation in Gaza
The World Food Program has run out of food supplies in the Gaza Strip, as Israel maintains a blockade on all humanitarian aid to the region which is home to over two million people. This situation represents not only a gross abuse of power – the ongoing genocide constitutes an international crime under humanitarian and criminal law and must be stopped.
By blocking 116,000 metric tonnes of food at its border with Gaza – enough to provide basic rations for one million people for four months – Israel and its supporters violate their obligation to respect the right to food for the Palestinian population, impeding access to adequate food needed for survival and a life of dignity.
No one in Gaza has access to sufficient food and water. Some, including young children, have already starved to death with thousands facing acute malnutrition. Gaza’s agricultural infrastructure and crops have been decimated, and agricultural systems have almost collapsed. Severe fuel restrictions have crippled water infrastructure and electricity supply, leaving only limited power from solar panels and generators.
Food prices in the Gaza Strip have surged by 1,400 percent since the culmination of the last ceasefire, making it nearly impossible for affected communities to secure affordable food. This crisis impacts not only the current population but also severely threatens future generations’ health and other related rights.
Currently, residents in Gaza rely primarily on canned vegetables, rice, pasta, and lentils, as staples like meat, milk, cheese, and fruit have all but disappeared. The result is a significant deficiency in both the quantity and quality of food needed to fulfill their right to adequate food and nutrition. Children are going to bed starving, according to the UN.
This dire escalation stems not only from recent hostilities but also from Israeli occupation, systemic oppression and longstanding human rights violations of the Palestinian people. These include the destruction of food and health infrastructure, restricting water supplies, environmental destruction and other violations of economic, social, and cultural rights – as well as the right to self-determination. These ongoing violations have precipitated a food and health catastrophe that the international community has allowed to persist, breaching its obligations to ensure the right to food within and beyond their borders and for present and future generations.
The international community must act to redress this violation, adopting all necessary measures to prevent the weaponization of food and uphold the rights of the people in Gaza. States should immediately cease any support — be it military, economic, or political — to Israel and the transnational corporations complicit in this ongoing genocide.
In the short term, nations are urged to deploy diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of food supplies currently blocked at the border. However, these measures alone are far from sufficient. The international community must restore local food systems and infrastructure in Gaza, respect the Palestinian’s right to self-determination and ensure access to food, remedy and justice. It is impossible to realize human rights and exercise food sovereignty in the context of settler colonialism and occupation.
The establishment of the Hague Group is a positive step towards addressing this crisis, but additional states must join this initiative and immediately take effective actions to ensure justice and peace for the Palestinian people.
For more information or media queries contact Ana María Suárez Franco: suarez-franco@fian.org
