The UN agency UNRWA has declared that Gaza is enduring a “constructed and deliberate mass starvation”, asserting that the Israeli and US backed aid distribution mechanism known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) serves military and political objectives while aggravating civilian deaths rather than alleviating hunger. UNRWA emphasized that Israel controls all humanitarian access, directing and routing aid through mechanisms that are not designed to meet basic needs, while Thousands of UN supervised trucks loaded with food and medical supplies remain stranded in Egypt and Jordan.
The World Health Organization, led by Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has described the crisis as “man made mass starvation” caused by blockade, reporting a “deadly surge” in malnutrition with several children dead in 2025 alone, and more than 5,100 children admitted for malnutrition in July, including 800 severely emaciated. Gaza’s Health Ministry recorded at least 111 starvation related deaths, mostly children, with hospitals filling up amid scarce resources and a collapse of food distribution systems.
More than 100 aid organizations, among them Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam, have jointly warned that over 2 million Palestinians are being pushed toward starvation, while supply warehouses sit untouched and aid is blocked or delayed by Israeli restrictions. The UN has called Gaza a “horror show” and described residents as “walking corpses,” with even frontline humanitarian staff collapsing from hunger and witnessing mass suffering as warehouses remain locked and aid corridors fail to function effectively.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has appealed for a return to a UN led, supervised mechanism to deliver life saving relief, warning that GHF is not only inadequate but harmful and called the global humanitarian system to urgent action. The crisis has prompted global condemnation: the UK, France, Germany and others have demanded Israel lift aid restrictions, open crossings, and negotiate ceasefire terms tied to hostages and prisoner exchanges, while France has announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood amid mounting international pressure.
Since May, the UN rights office reports that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking food, especially at aid sites managed by the GHF, drawing widespread accusations that starvation is being weaponized against civilians in Gaza. As global outrage intensifies, UN officials, aid agencies, and civil society groups are urgently demanding access, transparency, and an end to what UNRWA described as possibly genocidal starvation designed through restrictive blockade and flawed aid channels.
