Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Founding Chair GSRRA, Sinologist, Diplomat, Editor, Analyst, Advisor, Consultant, Researcher at Global South Economic and Trade Cooperation Research Center, and Non-Resident Fellow of CCG. (E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com).

The unfolding famine in Gaza is not a natural disaster—it is a man-made catastrophe, deliberately inflicted through policies of siege, starvation, and systematic denial of humanitarian assistance. The root cause of this unfolding tragedy lies in the unrelenting and brutal blockade imposed by Israel, coupled with the unwavering political and military support extended by the United States. What we are witnessing is not merely a humanitarian crisis—it is a crime against humanity.

As Gaza’s children, the most vulnerable segment of the population, perish silently from hunger and thirst, the world’s conscience appears numb. This report seeks to document the scale of the famine, its deliberate orchestration, and the alarming consequences of this unfolding genocide.

The Gaza Blockade and Manufactured Starvation

Since October 7, 2023, following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, the Israeli government intensified its already suffocating blockade on the Gaza Strip. Israel halted the entry of food, water, fuel, and medicine, severed electricity, bombed bakeries and food storage facilities, and destroyed agricultural lands. As of July 2025, Gaza remains under siege, reduced to rubble, with its people deprived of the most basic necessities of life.

Israel's actions go far beyond military retaliation—they constitute an intentional strategy to weaponize hunger. According to United Nations experts, famine is now present in parts of Gaza and spreading fast. The World Food Programme (WFP) and other UN agencies have repeatedly warned that famine is “imminent” unless immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access is granted.

This is not a byproduct of war—it is a deliberate policy of collective punishment. Israeli officials have openly declared their intention to deprive Gaza of food and fuel. For instance, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant infamously stated: “We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel—everything is closed.” This constitutes not only a violation of international humanitarian law but also a direct incitement to commit crimes against humanity.

The Human Toll: A Generation Starving

Gaza’s population before the war stood at approximately 2.3 million people. According to UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), over 90% of the population is now experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that more than 500,000 people—about 25% of Gaza’s population—are already in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe/Famine), the most severe classification. Nearly the entire population is in urgent need of food assistance.

Children, who constitute around 47% of Gaza’s population (over 1.1 million), are the hardest hit. A report released by UNICEF and Save the Children in mid-2025 reveals that one in every three children in northern Gaza suffers from severe acute malnutrition. These children are not just hungry—they are skeletal, listless, and dying slowly in front of helpless families and powerless aid workers.

As per the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, at least 45 children have died from hunger and dehydration as of July 2025. However, independent estimates from medical NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Doctors of the World suggest that the number could be over 200, with many deaths going unrecorded due to the destruction of the health infrastructure.

The Health Ministry in Gaza, despite limited operational capacity, estimates that the total death toll from starvation, malnutrition, and preventable diseases exacerbated by hunger may have already crossed 3,000. With the growing collapse of food distribution systems, projections suggest that without immediate large-scale intervention, an additional 10,000 to 15,000 people, mostly children and elderly, could perish in the next three months.

Destruction of Food Systems: An Engineered Collapse

Israeli bombardments have targeted not only civilian homes and hospitals but also bakeries, agricultural fields, food warehouses, and fishing infrastructure. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 80% of Gaza’s agricultural assets have been destroyed. The deliberate targeting of food production systems amounts to what experts have called “starvation warfare.”

A report by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented multiple strikes on bakeries in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah, killing workers and civilians queuing for bread. Israel claims these were Hamas-affiliated facilities—yet no evidence has been provided, and such actions directly contravene Article 54 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.

Israel’s Inhumane Obstruction of Aid

Despite global outrage, Israel has obstructed or tightly controlled the entry of humanitarian aid. The few convoys that make it through are subjected to humiliating inspections, unnecessary delays, and arbitrary restrictions. The Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings have been closed for weeks at a time. Aid trucks have been bombed. In some instances, Israeli protesters and far-right extremists have physically blocked aid convoys destined for Gaza, with tacit support from Israeli authorities.

Israel’s claim that it allows aid in “wherever security permits” rings hollow in light of systematic delays and repeated attacks on UN facilities. Since October 2023, over 200 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza—many while clearly marked and working under UN flags.

The American Role: Complicity and Cover

While Israel executes this calculated policy of starvation, the United States continues to offer unflinching political, military, and financial support. Billions of dollars in military aid have been expedited to Israel since October 2023, including bunker-buster bombs and precision-guided munitions used in densely populated areas.

Even as famine grips Gaza, the United States has used its veto power at the United Nations Security Council at least four times to block resolutions calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian access. In March 2024, the Biden administration launched the so-called Gaza humanitarian aid pier off the coast—but it turned out to be a symbolic gesture with little impact. Reports from The Washington Post and The Intercept reveal that only a fraction of the aid reached those in need, and most operations have been marred by inefficiency and logistical failures.

Even more troubling, investigative journalists have reported that the aid pier served dual purposes, allegedly gathering intelligence and assisting Israeli military coordination, rather than being a neutral humanitarian channel. This gross misuse of humanitarian cover not only undermines trust but weaponizes aid itself—an affront to the very spirit of international humanitarian law.

The Scaring Scenario: A Bleeding Society on the Brink

What lies ahead is horrifying. Gaza’s healthcare system is non-functional, its water is contaminated, and its people are trapped in a wasteland of bombed homes and mass graves. Diseases like cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis are spreading. Hospitals lack electricity, fuel, and medicine. Children are being operated on without anesthesia.

The psychological trauma is beyond comprehension. A generation of children has grown up amidst death, siege, and starvation. UN experts have warned that Gaza may soon become “entirely uninhabitable.” A humanitarian catastrophe of this magnitude, created and perpetuated by human hands, scars not only Gaza but the moral integrity of the world.

Israel and the U.S.: Marching Toward Moral Isolation

The international community, especially the Global South, is increasingly viewing Israel and the United States as isolated actors violating the rules-based international order. Major countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia have cut diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions. South Africa has brought charges of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The ICC is pursuing war crimes investigations against Israeli leaders.

For the United States, the cost is rising. The perception of double standards in its human rights rhetoric has shattered its moral authority. In university campuses, civil society, and even within Congress, calls for an end to unconditional support for Israel are growing. America’s global image—already tarnished by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—is now being irreparably damaged by its complicity in the Gaza famine.

A Call to Humanity

The famine in Gaza is not a mystery. It is not the result of natural calamities or unavoidable war. It is a deliberate, systematic attempt to break a people’s will through starvation. It is collective punishment at a genocidal scale. Israel, with American complicity, is engineering a slow death for over two million Palestinians.

This is not a time for silence or neutrality. The world must speak out. Governments, international organizations, and people of conscience must demand an immediate ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access, and an end to the blockade. History will remember not only the crimes committed—but also those who stood by and watched.

Let this not be another Rwanda, another Srebrenica. Let Gaza not become a graveyard of international morality.

Key Data Summary for Argumentation:

Population of Gaza: ~2.3 million

Children (under 18): ~1.1 million

Facing acute food insecurity: Over 90%

In famine phase (IPC-5): 500,000+

Estimated child malnutrition: 1 in 3 in northern Gaza

Confirmed deaths due to hunger: ~3,000 (estimated)

Projected deaths by starvation (next 3 months): 10,000–15,000

UN and aid workers killed: 200+

Agricultural destruction: 80% of productive land

Final Note

In the end, the truth cannot be suppressed. The world is awakening to the grim reality in Gaza. The time to act is now—not just with words, but with courage, compassion, and justice. Because every moment of inaction costs another innocent life—and another child’s cry unheard.

Historian will write the US and Isreal under one label – Catastrophe creator!

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)