Using hunger as weapon of war 'a moral failure'
Widespread starvation is deliberately used as a weapon of war, 10 at a scale that we never thought possible. 11 I t is a moral failure that in 2025 more than 1·2 million people are living in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) phase 5 (catastrophe) famine conditions—the most extreme food insecurity level according to the gold-standard IPC. 12
These famines are not only claiming lives today, but they are also inflicting irreversible intergenerational trauma and damage. 13–16 Undernutrition in early childhood, particularly during the first 1000 days of life, disrupts physical growth, weakens immune systems, and impairs cognitive development. 17 Wasted children are about 12 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than children with a healthy weight. 18 Those children who do survive famine will bear the impacts for life: stunted growth, chronic diseases, and reduced educational and economic potential.
Evidence from the Dutch famine birth cohort and other famine-based studies shows that prenatal exposure to undernutrition impacts cardiometabolic health, mental health, and cognitive function at age 50 years and older. 19
The economic cost of malnutrition, through lost human capital and increased health-care expenses, can reduce nations' gross domestic product by 3–16%. 20 Additionally, the biological impacts might persist across generations through epigenetic changes, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and poor health. 17,21 The science of malnutrition and the solutions are known. Treatment of severe acute malnutrition, access to nutritious foods, clean water, nutrient supplements, and medical care are not radical ideas—they are proven strategies that save lives and rebuild communities. 22 Y et in Gaza and other conflict zones, humanitarian organisations are systematically obstructed to an extent we have not seen before.
Aid is blocked, health infrastructure is targeted, and families are left to face starvation, constituting grave violations of international humanitarian law. 23 Undernutrition is not only a consequence of war, it is also the seed for future conflict. 24 Desperation breeds instability. If an entire generation is allowed to grow up hungry, traumatised, and without hope, we all are complicit in setting the stage for further suffering. Careful data collection and scientific evidence to inform policy making are important. But this is not a moment for analysis, this is a moment for action.
ST4N is calling for the nutrition, medical, public health, and scientific community to support a call to action on ST4N's website. 25 Using hunger as a weapon of war must stop. Aid must flow today. Every child—every person—has the right to the nutrition they need to survive and thrive. Immediate, sufficient, unimpeded, and unconditional humanitarian access is urgent; it is the only path to avert further famine-related deaths and suffering. To delay humanitarian assistance is to deepen the crisis; to act is to break the chains of complicity.
We are all members of the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium (ST4N). SO and LH are co-founders of ST4N. SO, LH, BMC, JF, EB, MEB, and ZAB are members of the ST4N Steering Committee and CF is the ST4N Program Lead. SO, CF, and LMS report funding from Global Affairs Canada. BMC is a consultant to the Global Centre on Adaptation and Clim-Eat. SO, CF, KM, and LMS are employees of the Micronutrient Forum, which hosts ST4N and led the development of this Comment. RH is a consultant to the Micronutrient Forum. RV is a researcher at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC); the JRC is a public research body under the European Commission, and RV reports institutional support for work in supporting the Technical Advisory Group for Nutrition in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC); RV is a scientific expert supporting the IPC's Technical Advisory Group as well as the Nutrition Working Group. ZAB reports an institutional grant from the Larsson Foundation for evaluating breastfeeding support for women and children in conflict and humanitarian settings and is the Founding Coordinator for the BRANCH consortium Bridging Research to Action for Women and Children in Conflict and Humanitarian Settings 2017–2023. All other authors declare no competing interests.
Source: The Lancet
References
1. Osendarp, S ∙ Ruel, M ∙ Udomkesmalee, E ∙ et al. The full lethal impact of massive cuts to international food aid Nature. 2025;640:35-37 Crossref Scopus (1) PubMed Google Scholar 2. Osendarp, S ∙ Akuoku, JK ∙ Black, RE ∙ et al. The COVID-19 crisis will exacerbate maternal and child undernutrition and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries Nat Food. 2021;2:476-484 Crossref Scopus (118) PubMed Google Scholar 3. Osendarp, S ∙ Verburg, G ∙ Bhutta, Z ∙ et al. Act now before Ukraine war plunges millions into malnutrition Nature. 2022;604:620-624 Crossref Scopus (64) PubMed Google Scholar 4. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Gaza Strip. IPC Alert: worst-case scenario of famine unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Issue 133 https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-133/en/ Date: July 29, 2025 Date accessed: July 29, 2025 Google Scholar 5. WHO Malnutrition rates reach alarming levels in Gaza, WHO warns https://www.who.int/news/item/27-07-2025-malnutrition-rates-reach-alarming-levels-in-gaza–who-warns Date: July 27, 2025 Date accessed: July 28, 2025 Google Scholar 6. Faris, M ∙ Abutair, AS ∙ Elfarra, RM ∙ et al. Catastrophic famine in Gaza: unprecedented levels of hunger post-October 7th. A real population-based study from the Gaza Strip PLoS One. 2025;20, e0309854 Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar 7. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) South Sudan. IPC acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition analysis April 2025–July 2025 https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_South_Sudan_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Malnutrition_April_July2025_Report.pdf Date: June 12, 2025 Date accessed: July 25, 2025 Google Scholar 8. Mohamed, A ∙ Homeida, A Hunger in the shadow of conflict: analyzing malnutrition and humanitarian challenges in Sudan Confl Health. 2024;18:50 Crossref Scopus (5) PubMed Google Scholar 9. Perez Duque, M ∙ Alburhomy, A ∙ Ahmed, A ∙ et al. Acute malnutrition and food insecurity in Yemen, 2021: evidence from a two-stage cluster randomised survey in a protracted crisis PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025;5, e0004331 Crossref Scopus (0) PubMed Google Scholar 10. Ashour, Y ∙ Abu-Jlambo, A ∙ Abuzerr, S Starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza: violation of international law Lancet. 2025;405, 2044 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (0) Google Scholar 11. Bhutta, ZA ∙ Dominguez, GB ∙ Wise, PH When is enough, enough? Humanitarian rights and protection for children in conflict settings must be revisited BMJ. 2024;386, e081515 PubMed Google Scholar 12. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) IPC-CH Dashboard https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/ipc-dashboard/ Date: 2025 Date accessed: July 23, 2025 Google Scholar 13. Jamaluddine, Z ∙ Abukmail, H ∙ Aly, S ∙ et al. Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture-recapture analysis Lancet. 2025;405:469-477 Full Text Full Text (PDF) PubMed Google Scholar 14. Fieldhouse, R First independent survey of deaths in Gaza reports more than 80,000 fatalities Nature. 2025;643:311-312 Crossref Scopus (0) PubMed Google Scholar 15. Dercon, S ∙ Porter, C Live aid revisited: long-term impacts of the 1984 Ethiopian famine on children J Eur Econ Assoc. 2014;12:927-948 Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar 16. Ampaabeng, SK ∙ Tan, CM The long-term cognitive consequences of early childhood malnutrition: the case of famine in Ghana J Health Econ. 2013;32:1013-1027 Crossref Scopus (70) PubMed Google Scholar 17. Victora, CG ∙ Adair, L ∙ Fall, C ∙ et al. Maternal and child undernutrition: consequences for adult health and human capital Lancet. 2008;371:340-357 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (2619) PubMed Google Scholar 18. Olofin, I ∙ McDonald, CM ∙ Ezzati, M ∙ et al. Associations of suboptimal growth with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in children under five years: a pooled analysis of ten prospective studies PLoS One. 2013;8, e64636 Crossref Scopus (343) PubMed Google Scholar 19. De Rooij, SR ∙ Bleker, LS ∙ Painter, RC ∙ et al. Lessons learned from 25 years of research into long term consequences of prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine 1944–45: The Dutch famine Birth Cohort Int J Environ Health Res. 2022;32:1432-1446 Crossref Scopus (0) PubMed Google Scholar 20. Hoddinott, J The economics of reducing malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, 2016 https://glopan.org/sites/default/files/Global_Panel_Working_Paper.pdf Date accessed: July 27, 2025 Google Scholar 21. Behrman, JR ∙ Calderon, MC ∙ Preston, SH ∙ et al. Nutritional supplementation in girls influences the growth of their children: prospective study in Guatemala Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90:1372-1379 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (112) PubMed Google Scholar 22. Keats, EC ∙ Das, JK ∙ Salam, RA ∙ et al. Effective interventions to address maternal and child malnutrition: an update of the evidence Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2021;5:367-384 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (199) PubMed Google Scholar 23. Quell, M Majority of countries argue Israel violated international law in last historic hearing at UN court AP News, Feb 26, 2024 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-icj-court-hearings-gaza-hamas-18680f6ce9d8508d59c006780e23b346 Date accessed: July 27, 2025 Google Scholar 24. World Food Program USA Winning the peace: hunger and instability https://www.wfpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/wfp_food_security_final-web-1.pdf Date: 2017 Date accessed: July 25, 2025 Google Scholar 25. Standing Together for Nutrition Call to action Date: 2025 Date accessed: July 30, 2025 Google Scholar
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Global News
12-08-2025
- Global News
Texas woman sues U.S. marine who allegedly spiked her drink with abortion pills
A Texas woman is suing a man she says spiked her drink with almost a dozen abortion pills without her consent, and the organization that supplied them. The woman, Liana Davis of Corpus Christi, Texas, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday, claiming that Christopher Cooprider, her neighbour and a U.S. marine stationed in the city, impregnated her and then dosed her with 10 abortion pills after she rebuffed his repeated requests to end the pregnancy. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, alleges that Cooprider obtained drugs from Aid Access, a non-profit organization run by a Dutch physician, Rebecca Gomperts, that sends abortion medication by mail to the United States and globally. Davis's lawyer argued that the non-profit 'purposely and knowingly mailed abortion-inducing drugs into Texas in violation of state and federal law.' Story continues below advertisement The Aid Access website says it can legally provide abortion pills by mail to all 50 U.S. states by working with abortion providers in shield law states. According to KFF, an independent source for health policy research in the U.S., shield law states such as New York, Massachusetts, and California, where abortion is legal, protect abortion providers operating in those jurisdictions from prosecution by states where abortion is banned. For example, a doctor in New York could mail abortion pills to a patient in Texas and would be protected by the New York shield laws, even if Texas law says their actions are illegal. Davis claims that after contesting Cooprider's pleas to 'get rid of ' the baby, on April 5, he laced a hot chocolate with abortion pills following several months of heated back and forth about the fate of the unborn child. 1:02 Pregnant Georgia woman declared brain dead taken off life support after baby delivered A series of text message exchanges beginning on Jan. 31 — before Davis took a positive pregnancy test — included in the court filing shows Davis's response to Cooprider's abortion request: 'Jesus, I thought you were conservative,' she wrote. Story continues below advertisement 'So you're one of those 'conservative until it happens to your own mistress guys,'' she added. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We are not in love, we are not together, would be messed up to bring a child into the world without both parents raising them,' Cooprider said, the lawsuit states. On Feb. 3, he reiterated those sentiments, requesting that she abort the pregnancy if the test was positive. 'If it's positive, we need to schedule a clinic visit and get an abortion pill asap,' the exchange continued; 'excuse me?' Davis replied. According to the lawsuit, Davis found out she was pregnant on Feb. 4. Upon learning this, Cooprider reiterated his desire for her to 'get rid of' the baby. In response, Davis asked him to use different phrasing, saying, 'Every time you say 'get rid of it' it's like an electric shock,' the suit says. Further messages allegedly show Cooprider proceeding to order abortion pills online from Aid Access and instructing Davis to take them, a process she claims he kick-started without her consent. 'Well, YEAH, I am not okay with u buying something like that w/o my permission. It is not a benign purchase,' Davis wrote on Feb. 6, according to the court filing. Story continues below advertisement On Feb. 11, the lawsuit says Cooprider informed Davis that the pills had arrived. In the weeks that followed, Cooprider made repeated efforts in person and over text to convince Davis to abort the child, court documents show. She claims that on several occasions he came to her house with the pills and purposefully left them behind in the hopes she would take them of her own volition, a tactic Davis says she found 'disturbing.' The abortion pill regimen requires the pregnant person to take two different pills 24-48 hours apart. In a text message on Feb. 18, he allegedly wrote: 'Want you to practice some positive reinforcement. At the beginning of every hour, say out loud, 'I am going to be good and safe after taking the M&M's.'' (M&Ms referring to Mifepristone and Misoprostol – the combination of abortion pills Cooprider had ordered). Davis continued to rebuke Cooprider, accusing him of having a selfish attitude after he said there were 'zero pros' for him in the situation, the lawsuit says. On March 5, he agreed to attend an ultrasound appointment scheduled for March 25. In the weeks that followed, Davis and Cooprider shared increasingly contentious texts; the lawsuit alleges that neither would budge on their position. During that time, Davis claims that Cooprider referred to the unborn baby as a 'thing' and a 'mistake,' while she reiterated that she was capable of raising the child alongside her three children from a previous marriage. The suit says Cooprider accused Davis of having a 'psycho mentality' and threatened to contact her ex, with whom she was allegedly embroiled in legal proceedings. Story continues below advertisement Davis had accused her former partner of physically and emotionally abusing their children. The lawsuit says she had confided in Cooprider about her soon-to-be ex-husband on numerous occasions. By April, Davis, now eight weeks pregnant, claims that Cooprider was aware that he was running out of time to convince her to take the pills, which were only effective up until the 10-week mark. According to the lawsuit, on April 2, Cooprider asked Davis to hang out and watch television, painting the arrangement as a 'trust-building night,' text messages show. Davis claims this led her to believe he had accepted her decision to have the child, and that she saw it as a sign that there was an opportunity for the baby to have a relationship with their father. On the night of April 5, Cooprider came to Davis' home with a hot chocolate mix, claiming that warm beverages had been helping him to sleep at night, and offered to make one for her. While mixing the drink and when Davis had stepped out with her dog, she claims Cooprider laced the hot chocolate with the abortion pills, adding that he also made himself a cup. About 30 minutes later, Davis says she began hemorrhaging and cramping and knew she needed to seek medical attention, but could not leave her three children who were sleeping upstairs, the suit says. The pair decided that Cooprider would pick up Davis' mother, who lived close by, so she could take care of the children while Cooprider took Davis to the hospital. Story continues below advertisement But after Cooprider left the house, Davis claims he stopped responding to messages and calls, and that she soon realized he had spiked the hot chocolate with the abortion pills. After calling her mother an Uber to her home and returning from the hospital, Davis said she found the open box of pills and a pill bottle, which she handed to the Corpus Christi police, according to the lawsuit. The Corpus Christi Police Department did not respond to Global News' request for comment, but told NBC News that there are no active investigations involving Cooprider The Marine Corps did not respond to a request for comment.
Canada News.Net
10-08-2025
- Canada News.Net
Using hunger as weapon of war 'a moral failure'
As scientists and members of the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium (ST4N) who have been Standing Together For Nutrition during recent crises, we use evidence of the impact of crises on nutrition to advocate for the people most affected. 1–3 Now, in the face of the world's indifference, we are compelled to speak out about the horrifying human-made famine unfolding in Gaza and other conflict areas, including Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen. 4–9 Widespread starvation is deliberately used as a weapon of war, 10 at a scale that we never thought possible. 11 I t is a moral failure that in 2025 more than 1·2 million people are living in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) phase 5 (catastrophe) famine conditions—the most extreme food insecurity level according to the gold-standard IPC. 12 These famines are not only claiming lives today, but they are also inflicting irreversible intergenerational trauma and damage. 13–16 Undernutrition in early childhood, particularly during the first 1000 days of life, disrupts physical growth, weakens immune systems, and impairs cognitive development. 17 Wasted children are about 12 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than children with a healthy weight. 18 Those children who do survive famine will bear the impacts for life: stunted growth, chronic diseases, and reduced educational and economic potential. Evidence from the Dutch famine birth cohort and other famine-based studies shows that prenatal exposure to undernutrition impacts cardiometabolic health, mental health, and cognitive function at age 50 years and older. 19 The economic cost of malnutrition, through lost human capital and increased health-care expenses, can reduce nations' gross domestic product by 3–16%. 20 Additionally, the biological impacts might persist across generations through epigenetic changes, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and poor health. 17,21 The science of malnutrition and the solutions are known. Treatment of severe acute malnutrition, access to nutritious foods, clean water, nutrient supplements, and medical care are not radical ideas—they are proven strategies that save lives and rebuild communities. 22 Y et in Gaza and other conflict zones, humanitarian organisations are systematically obstructed to an extent we have not seen before. Aid is blocked, health infrastructure is targeted, and families are left to face starvation, constituting grave violations of international humanitarian law. 23 Undernutrition is not only a consequence of war, it is also the seed for future conflict. 24 Desperation breeds instability. If an entire generation is allowed to grow up hungry, traumatised, and without hope, we all are complicit in setting the stage for further suffering. Careful data collection and scientific evidence to inform policy making are important. But this is not a moment for analysis, this is a moment for action. ST4N is calling for the nutrition, medical, public health, and scientific community to support a call to action on ST4N's website. 25 Using hunger as a weapon of war must stop. Aid must flow today. Every child—every person—has the right to the nutrition they need to survive and thrive. Immediate, sufficient, unimpeded, and unconditional humanitarian access is urgent; it is the only path to avert further famine-related deaths and suffering. To delay humanitarian assistance is to deepen the crisis; to act is to break the chains of complicity. We are all members of the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium (ST4N). SO and LH are co-founders of ST4N. SO, LH, BMC, JF, EB, MEB, and ZAB are members of the ST4N Steering Committee and CF is the ST4N Program Lead. SO, CF, and LMS report funding from Global Affairs Canada. BMC is a consultant to the Global Centre on Adaptation and Clim-Eat. SO, CF, KM, and LMS are employees of the Micronutrient Forum, which hosts ST4N and led the development of this Comment. RH is a consultant to the Micronutrient Forum. RV is a researcher at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC); the JRC is a public research body under the European Commission, and RV reports institutional support for work in supporting the Technical Advisory Group for Nutrition in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC); RV is a scientific expert supporting the IPC's Technical Advisory Group as well as the Nutrition Working Group. ZAB reports an institutional grant from the Larsson Foundation for evaluating breastfeeding support for women and children in conflict and humanitarian settings and is the Founding Coordinator for the BRANCH consortium Bridging Research to Action for Women and Children in Conflict and Humanitarian Settings 2017–2023. All other authors declare no competing interests. Source: The Lancet References 1. Osendarp, S ∙ Ruel, M ∙ Udomkesmalee, E ∙ et al. The full lethal impact of massive cuts to international food aid Nature. 2025;640:35-37 Crossref Scopus (1) PubMed Google Scholar 2. Osendarp, S ∙ Akuoku, JK ∙ Black, RE ∙ et al. The COVID-19 crisis will exacerbate maternal and child undernutrition and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries Nat Food. 2021;2:476-484 Crossref Scopus (118) PubMed Google Scholar 3. Osendarp, S ∙ Verburg, G ∙ Bhutta, Z ∙ et al. Act now before Ukraine war plunges millions into malnutrition Nature. 2022;604:620-624 Crossref Scopus (64) PubMed Google Scholar 4. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Gaza Strip. IPC Alert: worst-case scenario of famine unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Issue 133 Date: July 29, 2025 Date accessed: July 29, 2025 Google Scholar 5. WHO Malnutrition rates reach alarming levels in Gaza, WHO warns Date: July 27, 2025 Date accessed: July 28, 2025 Google Scholar 6. Faris, M ∙ Abutair, AS ∙ Elfarra, RM ∙ et al. Catastrophic famine in Gaza: unprecedented levels of hunger post-October 7th. A real population-based study from the Gaza Strip PLoS One. 2025;20, e0309854 Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar 7. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) South Sudan. IPC acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition analysis April 2025–July 2025 Date: June 12, 2025 Date accessed: July 25, 2025 Google Scholar 8. Mohamed, A ∙ Homeida, A Hunger in the shadow of conflict: analyzing malnutrition and humanitarian challenges in Sudan Confl Health. 2024;18:50 Crossref Scopus (5) PubMed Google Scholar 9. Perez Duque, M ∙ Alburhomy, A ∙ Ahmed, A ∙ et al. Acute malnutrition and food insecurity in Yemen, 2021: evidence from a two-stage cluster randomised survey in a protracted crisis PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025;5, e0004331 Crossref Scopus (0) PubMed Google Scholar 10. Ashour, Y ∙ Abu-Jlambo, A ∙ Abuzerr, S Starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza: violation of international law Lancet. 2025;405, 2044 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (0) Google Scholar 11. Bhutta, ZA ∙ Dominguez, GB ∙ Wise, PH When is enough, enough? Humanitarian rights and protection for children in conflict settings must be revisited BMJ. 2024;386, e081515 PubMed Google Scholar 12. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) IPC-CH Dashboard Date: 2025 Date accessed: July 23, 2025 Google Scholar 13. Jamaluddine, Z ∙ Abukmail, H ∙ Aly, S ∙ et al. Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture-recapture analysis Lancet. 2025;405:469-477 Full Text Full Text (PDF) PubMed Google Scholar 14. Fieldhouse, R First independent survey of deaths in Gaza reports more than 80,000 fatalities Nature. 2025;643:311-312 Crossref Scopus (0) PubMed Google Scholar 15. Dercon, S ∙ Porter, C Live aid revisited: long-term impacts of the 1984 Ethiopian famine on children J Eur Econ Assoc. 2014;12:927-948 Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar 16. Ampaabeng, SK ∙ Tan, CM The long-term cognitive consequences of early childhood malnutrition: the case of famine in Ghana J Health Econ. 2013;32:1013-1027 Crossref Scopus (70) PubMed Google Scholar 17. Victora, CG ∙ Adair, L ∙ Fall, C ∙ et al. Maternal and child undernutrition: consequences for adult health and human capital Lancet. 2008;371:340-357 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (2619) PubMed Google Scholar 18. Olofin, I ∙ McDonald, CM ∙ Ezzati, M ∙ et al. Associations of suboptimal growth with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in children under five years: a pooled analysis of ten prospective studies PLoS One. 2013;8, e64636 Crossref Scopus (343) PubMed Google Scholar 19. De Rooij, SR ∙ Bleker, LS ∙ Painter, RC ∙ et al. Lessons learned from 25 years of research into long term consequences of prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine 1944–45: The Dutch famine Birth Cohort Int J Environ Health Res. 2022;32:1432-1446 Crossref Scopus (0) PubMed Google Scholar 20. Hoddinott, J The economics of reducing malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, 2016 Date accessed: July 27, 2025 Google Scholar 21. Behrman, JR ∙ Calderon, MC ∙ Preston, SH ∙ et al. Nutritional supplementation in girls influences the growth of their children: prospective study in Guatemala Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90:1372-1379 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (112) PubMed Google Scholar 22. Keats, EC ∙ Das, JK ∙ Salam, RA ∙ et al. Effective interventions to address maternal and child malnutrition: an update of the evidence Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2021;5:367-384 Full Text Full Text (PDF) Scopus (199) PubMed Google Scholar 23. Quell, M Majority of countries argue Israel violated international law in last historic hearing at UN court AP News, Feb 26, 2024 Date accessed: July 27, 2025 Google Scholar 24. World Food Program USA Winning the peace: hunger and instability Date: 2017 Date accessed: July 25, 2025 Google Scholar 25. Standing Together for Nutrition Call to action Date: 2025 Date accessed: July 30, 2025 Google Scholar
Canada News.Net
30-07-2025
- Canada News.Net
‘Catastrophic' Famine" unfolding as Gazan death toll tops 60,000
GAZA – The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 60,000 since the outbreak of war following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel, which resulted in 1,138 fatalities and the abduction of 252 people. In addition to the death toll, between 100,000 and 200,000 people have been injured, many with severe, life-altering wounds, including amputations, traumatic brain injuries, and loss of vision or hearing. The current death toll is comparable to lower estimates of fatalities from the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. Historical reports vary, with the 1946 Manhattan Project estimating 39,000 deaths, while later reassessments by Japanese and international researchers place the figure between 60,000 and 80,000 by the end of that year, according to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. The Gaza Health Ministry documented 60,034 fatalities in Gaza as of Tuesday, with 81 deaths reported that day—19 of whom were said to be civilians seeking aid. These casualties occurred despite announced military and humanitarian pauses in fighting. Local sources described Tuesday as one of the deadliest days in recent weeks, with reports of Israeli forces deploying drones, tanks, and remotely operated devices in ongoing operations. The conflict has devastated the enclave, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 2.73 percent of Gaza's 2.2 million population. Some analysts, including contributors to The Lancet, suggest the actual toll may be significantly higher due to unrecorded deaths and destruction of medical infrastructure. The mounting casualties coincide with an official declaration of famine in parts of Gaza by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). In a report released Tuesday. "Latest data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City," the report said. "Amid relentless conflict, mass displacement, severely restricted humanitarian access, and the collapse of essential services, including healthcare, the crisis has reached an alarming and deadly turning point." The report added that one in three individuals in Gaza are enduring prolonged periods without food. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly denied claims of starvation in Gaza, asserting that sufficient aid is available. However, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the humanitarian crisis in a statement Tuesday, calling it "a reality unfolding before our eyes." "The facts are in—and they are undeniable," Guterres said. "Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. The trickle of aid must become an ocean. Food, water, medicine, and fuel must flow in waves and without obstruction." He reiterated calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all captives, and full humanitarian access.
