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3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starvation in Gaza: what we know about 'entirely preventable' crisis
On July 29, 2025, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the foremost authority on global food security, declared the "worst-case scenario" of famine is unfolding in Gaza "amidst relentless conflicts, displacements, and extremely limited humanitarian access." According to the United Nations' World Food Program, a third of the population was going multiple days without eating. U.N. agencies and independent aid groups accused Israel of not allowing enough aid into Gaza and warned of impending famine. In the 22 months since militant group Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and capture of Israeli hostages, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's ensuing offensive, 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced and vast swathes of the enclave has been destroyed by Israel's bombardment, according to The Associated Press. The IPC noted it was issuing an "alert" and not a formal famine classification. Meanwhile, an international war of words raged on over the severity of the food crisis in Gaza and why it was happening. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed there was "no starvation" and "no policy of starvation" in Gaza. U.S. President Donald Trump disagreed, citing photographs of starving Gazans and saying, "Those children look very hungry." As we researched how such a catastrophe emerged in Gaza, we found that experts and international aid groups have designated it an "entirely preventable" crisis caused by Israel's control of the flow of food into the region — not just in the two years since the current Israel-Hamas war began, but over decades. Below, we look at the process for declaring a famine, the authority behind it, what it means to formally declare a famine and the current status of food scarcity in Gaza. What does it take to declare a famine? As Snopes has previously reported, the U.N. uses the IPC's standardized scale to inform governments and policymakers about the severity of famine risk in certain regions. The U.N. convenes the independent Famine Review Committee as the primary international body to oversee the analysis of food scarcity. The FRC works with expert panels it recruits, or with nongovernmental organizations and other international agencies, to make sure published analyses of food security risk accurately follow a standardized methodology. The IPC has a five-phase scale, with the most extreme being a "catastrophe/famine." (United Nations) In order for a food security emergency to be formally declared a famine, the following very high thresholds must be met: The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) defines Famine as a situation in which at least one in five households has an extreme lack of food and face starvation and destitution, resulting in extremely critical levels of acute malnutrition and death. A Famine classification (IPC Phase 5) is the highest phase of the IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale, and is attributed when an area has at least 20% of households facing an extreme lack of food, at least 30% of children suffering from acute malnutrition, and two people for every 10,000 dying each day due to outright starvation or to the interaction of malnutrition and disease. The FRC's role, as we reported before, is akin to that of peer reviewers of academic papers. Ultimately, the committee makes the final call on endorsing or rejecting the findings of the expert panels. NGOs and panels cannot use the IPC framework without the FRC approving their work. As the central body protecting the IPC framework, the FRC must, by regulation, technically examine any Phase 5 finding made by other groups or experts before publication, given the severity of the claim. Alex de Waal, an anthropologist and the author of "Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine" described the FRC as "all volunteers, drawn from academia and international agencies, and it has met just over twenty times over the last decade, including four times on Gaza." The U.N. and governments are expected to declare famines, not the IPC. The U.N. would make a formal statement based on the IPC analysis. While a number of independent U.N. experts declared in July 2024 that famine had spread throughout Gaza Strip, the U.N. itself has not made such a declaration. However, reported by The Associated Press, the IPC says that usually by the time a famine gets declared, it is too late. Why has no one declared a famine in Gaza yet? Simply put, the IPC does not yet have the requisite data to state whether a famine is taking place and Israel has not permitted access to the territory to gather data. Although the IPC normally relies on humanitarian partners on the ground to collect this data, it is not easy to come by in Gaza's case. As of July 29, the IPC said famine thresholds had been reached for food consumption in most of Gaza, and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City, meeting two out of three conditions for it to be declared an official famine. Death rates, the third piece of data used to calculate a famine, per de Waal, are generally harder to calculate the more disruption exists in a community. The FRC, de Waal noted, is also "scrupulously cautious" and "resistant to alarmist calls." In an email to Snopes, he wrote: The reason why they couldn't determine famine was that there was no new data (hence it's an "alert" not a report) and it had no mortality data. Having made a projection of famine in May based on a "reasonable worst case scenario", when that scenario unfolded they concluded that famine was unfolding. It's the closest that they can come without having data. Determining deaths caused solely by hunger and starvation is increasingly difficult in conflict zones. De Waal wrote in the London Review of Books: In the famine I studied in Sudan in the 1980s, malnutrition was rarely identified as the cause of death. More common culprits by far were measles, malaria and diseases causing diarrhoea, which were spread by people moving around in search of food, overcrowding in unsanitary camps, the collapse of vaccination against childhood diseases – and were more lethal because so many children were underfed. Mass starvation isn't simply individual starvation aggregated, but the collapse of human health in a collapsing society: first displacement and the disruption of water, sanitation and shelter, attended by a drop in consumption of essential foods; then child malnutrition; and in the absence of remedial health and nutrition efforts, the prospect of mass deaths. Israeli bombardment has decimated Gaza's health care systems and overwhelmed the remaining hospitals with war casualties. Screening people for malnutrition has become difficult, as has determining causes of death from either starvation or other causes. Hundreds of Gazans killed in Israeli strikes while seeking food aid are being described as victims of famine by Palestinians, even though a number of them may not be technically counted among the "malnourished." What does the data say right now? The U.N. says nearly 1,400 people were killed and 4,000 injured trying to obtain food in recent weeks (as of Aug. 5, 2025). At least 859 of the deaths occurred in the vicinity of the U.S.- and Israeli-run private aid organization Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which "bypassed regular humanitarian operations," according to the U.N. The IPC alert from July 29, 2025, states (emphasis ours): Food consumption has sharply deteriorated, with one in three individuals going without food for days at a time. Between May and July 2025, the proportion of households experiencing extreme hunger has doubled. The food consumption threshold for Famine (IPC AFI Phase 5) has already been passed for most areas of the Gaza Strip. The same alert notes that malnutrition has reached "the Famine threshold" in Gaza City, where more than 20,000 children were admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July. More than 3,000 children were severely malnourished. Israel's own data confirms less food was going into Gaza as of July 29 than at any other time since Hamas' attack in October 2023. However, the GHF claimed it delivered more than a million boxes of aid to Gazans at its distribution sites as of Aug. 1. News reports from Gaza detail the deaths of dozens of children and adults from malnutrition in July alone, based on data from the Gaza Health Ministry. The World Health Organization documented that 21 children younger than 5 died of causes related to malnutrition in 2025. The World Food Program said around 100,000 women and children need urgent treatment for malnutrition. On Aug. 2, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that a total of 85 children had died of malnutrition-related causes thus far in the war, with a total of 127 people dying of malnutrition-related causes overall. The adult deaths were counted over the last few weeks of July alone, according to The Associated Press. A malnutrition clinic in Gaza reported receiving an average of 40 cases weekly, while Nasser Hospital's pediatric department with eight beds was dealing with around 60 cases. Infant formula also was limited in Gaza as a result of the Israeli-imposed blockade in summer 2025, according to reports from doctors and mothers in the region. In late June 2025, COGAT, the Israeli agency in charge of aid coordination in Gaza said at least 1000 tons of baby food was distributed in Gaza through international agencies. However, their claims were disputed by Gaza's health officials who said not enough of that aid had critical medical equipment, formula and medicine. On Aug. 4, Save the Children reported 43% of examined pregnant and breastfeeding women were malnourished — three times the number screened in March 2025. What is Israel's role in the starvation crisis? Unlike starvation caused by natural disaster or geographic inaccessibility, the starvation Gazans are experiencing is a direct result of the territory's destroyed infrastructure and border restrictions imposed on the flow of goods by the Israeli government. "We declare that Israel's intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people is a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across all of Gaza," a group of U.N. experts stated on July 9. Israel has denied these accusations. In a news conference in late July, Netanyahu stated that there "is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. … Hamas robs, steals this humanitarian aid, and then accuses Israel of not supplying it." Other politicians and commentators have similarly shifted blame from Israel and onto Hamas, Gaza's governing militant group. Gazan writer Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib claimed in The Atlantic: Hamas actually wants a famine in Gaza. Producing mass death from hunger is the group's final play, its last hope for ending the war in a way that advances its goals. Hamas has benefited from Israel's decision to use food as a lever against the terror group, because the catastrophic conditions for civilians have generated an international outcry, which is worsening Israel's global standing and forcing it to reverse course. Regardless of Hamas' purported actions, Israeli officials have already publicly endorsed aid cutoffs. The claim that Hamas steals humanitarian aid and benefits from Israel's "levering" of food against the Gazan population, if true, doesn't negate the fact that international law explicitly prohibits starvation as a tactic of war. Furthermore, some Israeli government officials have themselves denied the claim that Hamas steals aid. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in May 2025 that "no aid is going to Hamas, period." In a July 2025 New York Times report, two Israeli military officials (speaking on condition of anonymity) asserted that although Hamas allegedly "did steal from some of the smaller organizations," there is no proof Hamas routinely stole U.N. aid. A July 2025 review by the U.S. Agency for International Development found "no evidence of systematic theft" by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, which has served as the primary rationale for backing the GHF. On Aug. 5, U.N. experts called for an immediate dismantling of the Israeli-backed U.S. militarized aid distribution operation. Although the GHF has reportedly raised more than $100 million between its founding in February 2025 and early June, the group has not revealed its funding sources. Later in June, the U.S. State Department publicly transferred $30 million to the foundation. The GHF's four distribution sites have largely replaced the former U.N. aid distribution system that previously had hundreds of active distribution sites since its founding in February 2025; Israel, as of this writing, continues to uphold its March 2, 2025, blockade on all humanitarian aid from The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East – historically, Gaza's primary source of aid. As desperation for food has grown in Gaza and hundreds flock to the GHF distribution sites, the number of those killed by Israeli munitions while trying to source food rises. "The GHF … is an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law," U.N. experts wrote at the beginning of August. "The entanglement of Israeli intelligence, US contractors and ambiguous non-governmental entities underlines the urgent need for robust international oversight and action under UN auspices." As the occupying power in Gaza (per the United Nations), Israel stands responsible in the eyes of international law for the needs of the local population, according to Article 43 of the Hague Regulations and Article 64 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. "This crisis is entirely preventable," the WHO said in a news release. The Israeli news outlet Haaretz posited in July 2025: "The situation in Gaza is likely the most extreme example of politically–driven starvation in the 21st century." Statements by the U.N. and other human rights agencies have echoed this claim of a "targeted starvation campaign," which Israel has denied. Israel maintains control over two of the three main border crossings into the Gaza enclave — meaning that Israel (along with Egypt) regulates the passage of all food, medical supplies, fuel and movement of people in and out of Gaza. Israel's control over food permitted to enter Gaza has affected the population for more than a decade. Documents released in 2012 indicated Israel historically used a "calorie count" to limit food into Gaza. Even before Israel began tightening its grip on the Gaza border following Hamas' election as the ruling party in 2007, Gazans suffered under Israeli cutoffs that disrupted the flow of goods into Gaza as well as destruction of agricultural infrastructure. For example, Israeli bulldozers systematically razed fields of crops and targeted fishers and confiscated fishing boats, resulting in a dwindling independent supply sector in Gaza. For decades, Gaza has struggled under the weight of both Israeli occupation and the influx of Palestinian refugees following the mass expulsion of people from their homes during the Nakba, or "catastrophe" — the event between 1947 and 1949 in which armed Zionist militias forcibly claimed the homes, land, and possessions of approximately 750,000 Palestinians. While Israel has upheld this tight border control on Gaza for nearly 20 years, it intensified the existing blockade following Hamas' attack on Israel in October 2023. "We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything will be closed," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said after the attack. Aside from destroying housing, schools and other architecture, the heavy bombardment of Gaza that followed Oct. 7, 2023, destroyed vast swaths of agricultural land. According to a May 2025 analysis by the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations, more than 95% of Gaza's agricultural infrastructure — including cropland, greenhouses and agricultural wells — is unusable. Additionally, Israel restricted the delivery of necessary tools and supplies such as fuel, which according to the U.N. has prevented Gazans from receiving life-saving health services and preparing their food. Other sources of food, including many bakeries and Gaza's once-autonomous fishing industry have either been wiped out as a result of Israel's artillery or shuttered as a result of aid blockades. Israel's grip on Gaza's borders eased during the January 2025 ceasefire, during which the number of aid trucks allowed in skyrocketed before plummeting on March 2 when Israel announced a cut-off of all aid into Gaza. The following chart by The Associated Press illustrates the amount of aid entering Gaza from October 2023 through May 2025 compared with the average amount of aid that entered Gaza before October 2023: As of this writing, this blockade continues, although Israel has allowed a trickle of aid from surrounding nations via air drops as well as limited aid truck entry. According to the U.N., these air drops are a last-resort measure and carry risks for people on the ground — for example, when the approximately 2,000-pound packages land on tents, crushing those inside. The number of aid trucks entering Gaza also remains insufficient according to the U.N., as of this writing. The evidence we have shown points toward the starvation of Gazans being a direct result of Israeli policies. As experts from the bipartisan think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies' Global Health Policy Center asserted, "The resumption of food aid alone is insufficient to address the health disaster in Gaza," which is the result of decades of restriction and destruction and for which rehabilitation would necessitate a permanent ceasefire. How does the debate over 'famine' label affect Gazans? For many international aid experts and scholars, whether there's an official famine in Gaza is beside the point. As evidenced above, the region is already in crisis and in need of urgent aid and international intervention. A final assessment of its "famine" status might not happen until it's already too late and more people have died. Oxfam America's director of peace and security, Scott Paul, told the media in July 2025 that action must be taken before a famine is declared and aid organizations need more than just food to address the crisis. Fixing the water and sanitation crisis to prevent disease from spreading is also crucial, he said. Experts at CSIS noted in late July that it was highly unlikely that a government or international agency would declare famine in Gaza. They wrote: World leaders cannot wait for a declaration to act while Gazans, including children, are dying each day of starvation. Starvation will continue to kill Gazans until there is a sustained ceasefire and an unencumbered influx of humanitarian assistance, including food, clean water, medical and sanitation supplies, and malnutrition treatments. And even if such assistance were allowed, Gazans will continue to require long-term support following the provision of such aid, as today's starvation will burden children with lifelong physical and cognitive deficits. De Waal wrote that a famine declaration has more "moral force" than legal consequence. While international humanitarian law has no legal definition of famine, starvation is explicitly prohibited as a weapon of war. Declaring a famine thus has few legal ramifications for perpetrators in man-made catastrophes, though their actions can be prosecuted as war crimes. However, the crime of starvation has never been considered in a court of international law. Regardless of Gaza's food-insecurity risk designation, it is clear based on the available data and reporting coming out of the region, as well as overwhelming calls from international agencies to increase aid, that aside from the long-term humanitarian aid and holistic support needed to prevent the catastrophe in Gaza from getting even worse, the onus lies on Israel to lift the severe restrictions on food currently creating faminelike conditions in Gaza. "A Famine Hasn't Been Declared in Gaza, but That May Not Matter, Experts Say." ABC News, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "A Timeline of the Gaza Strip in Modern History." PBS News, 5 Feb. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Alkhatib, Ahmed Fouad. "Hamas Wants Gaza to Starve." The Atlantic, 31 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Ashour, Yara, et al. "Starvation as a Weapon of War in Gaza: Violation of International Law." The Lancet, vol. 405, no. 10494, Jun. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Backing off Threat to Quit Coalition, Smotrich Says Entry of 'Minimum' Aid in Gaza Won't Reach Hamas." Times of Israel, 19 May 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Doctors and Moms Say These Babies in Gaza May Die without More Formula. They Blame Israel's Blockade." AP News, 25 Jun. 2025, Accessed 6 Aug. 2025. "Dozens of Kids and Adults in Gaza Have Starved to Death in July as Hunger Surges." AP News, 24 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Explainer: What Is Famine?" UN News. 18 Mar. 2024, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "'Fuel for Gaza Is a Matter of Life and Death,' UN Warns." UN News. 25 Jun. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. 'Gaza: 875 People Confirmed Dead Trying to Source Food in Recent Weeks." UN News, 15 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Gaza Aid Dries up as Israeli Blockade Enters a Third Month." AP News, 6 May 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Gaza "soon without Fuel, Medicine and Food" - Israel Authorities." 9 Oct. 2023. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. GENEVA CONVENTION RELATIVE TO THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIAN PERSONS IN TIME OF WAR OF 12 AUGUST 1949. The United Nations, Accessed 6 Aug. 2025. Graham-Harrison, Emma. "The Mathematics of Starvation: How Israel Caused a Famine in Gaza." The Guardian, 31 Jul. 2025. The Guardian, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Hasson, Nir. "What Israel Must Do to Stop the Starvation in Gaza, Right Now." Haaretz, 31 Jul. 2025. Haaretz, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Human Rights Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Including East Jerusalem, and the Obligation to Ensure Accountability and Justice. U.N. General Assembly, 13 Feb. 2023, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Ibrahim, Nur. "Videos Show Israeli Extremist Group Blocking Aid Trucks to Gaza." Snopes, 29 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "IPC ALERT: Worst-Case Scenario of Famine Unfolding in the Gaza Strip." Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, 29 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. IPC Overview and Classification System | IPC - Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Israel Used 'calorie Count' to Limit Gaza Food during Blockade, Critics Claim." The Guardian, 17 Oct. 2012. The Guardian, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Israeli Defence Minister Orders 'Complete Siege' on Gaza." Al Jazeera, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territory Illegal: UN Rights Commission | UN News. 20 Oct. 2022, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Israel's Leader Claims No One in Gaza Is Starving. Data and Witnesses Disagree." PBS News, 28 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Israel Limits Entry of Baby Formula in Gaza as Infants Die of Hunger. 1 Jul. 2025. Le Monde, Accessed 6 Aug. 2025. Kasprak, Alex. "UN Said There's No Famine in Gaza?" Snopes, 2 Jul. 2024, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Land Availability for Cultivation in the Gaza Strip as of April 2025. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Apr. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "More than 95 Percent of Gaza's Agricultural Land Unusable, UN Warns." Al Jazeera, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Netanyahu Denies Reports of Starvation in Gaza, Blames Hamas for Stealing Aid." YouTube, Associated Press, 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Nichols, Michelle, et al. "What Is the New US-Backed Gaza Aid Plan and Why Doesn't the UN like It?" Reuters, 10 Jun. 2025. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Odenheimer, Natan. "No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say." The New York Times, 26 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Palestine, Syria, Lebanon & Other Topics - Daily Press Briefing (28 July 2025) | United Nations." YouTube, United Nations, 28 Jul. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "Palestinian Death Toll in Israel-Hamas War Passes 60,000, Gaza Health Ministry Says." AP News, 29 Jul. 2025, Accessed 6 Aug. 2025. PerryCook, Taija. "Posts Claim Gaza Aid Air Drops Injured 11 in July 2025. Here's What We Know." Snopes, 1 Aug. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. PerryCook, Taija. "Unraveling Palestine: Understanding Its Location and the Palestinian Identity." Snopes, 8 Dec. 2023, Quillen, Stephen, and Caolán Magee,Virginia Pietromarchi,Umut Uras. "Updates: Israel Kills 74 in Gaza as UN Warns of High Rate of Child Deaths." Al Jazeera, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Sheikh Ahmad, Rawan, et al. "Gazans Are Dying of Starvation." The New York Times, 24 Jul. 2025, Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. "The Closure of Borders by Israel in the Gaza Strip Has Led to a..." Getty Images, 10 Mar. 2025, Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. THE HAGUE CONVENTIONS OF 1899 (II) AND 1907 (IV) RESPECTING THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "The Latest Child to Starve to Death in Gaza Weighed Less than When She Was Born." AP News, 26 Jul. 2025, Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. "The War on Food Production: Fishing." Gisha, 24 Jun. 2025, Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "UN Experts Call for Immediate Dismantling of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation." United Nations, 5 Aug. 2025, Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. "UN Experts Say Israel Carrying out 'Targeted Starvation Campaign' in Gaza." Al Jazeera, July 9, 2025. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. "UN Warns of 'Catastrophic Hunger' in Gaza as Israel Announces Humanitarian Pauses." UN News. 27 Jul. 2025, Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. Urquhart, Conal. "Gaza on Brink of Implosion as Aid Cut-off Starts to Bite." The Guardian, 16 Apr. 2006. The Guardian, Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. "U.S. State Department Announces $30 Million in Funding to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)." Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, 26 Jun. 2025, Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. Waal, Alex de. "How to Measure Famine." London Review of Books, vol. 47, no. 02, 6 Feb. 2025. Accessed Aug. 5, 2025. "Why There Hasn't Been a Formal Declaration of Famine in Gaza." 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Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Health
- Al Mayadeen
Gaza mothers starving, infant deaths reach critical levels: UN
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has issued a grave warning over the dire conditions faced by tens of thousands of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza, as extreme hunger continues to jeopardize their health and the survival of their newborns. In a statement shared by UNFPA's Arab States Regional Office on X, the agency revealed that approximately 50,000 women in Gaza 'haven't eaten for days.' Malnourishment is preventing mothers from breastfeeding, while baby formula remains unavailable due to ongoing shortages. This has resulted in a spike in premature and underweight births. 'Babies are born too soon, too small,' the post read. 'Newborns are at risk of death or lifelong health issues.' 50,000 pregnant & breastfeeding women in #Gaza haven't eaten for are born too soon, too are too malnourished to breastfeed — & formula is are at risk of death or lifelong health is preventable. #OpenUpGaza Let aid in. the crisis as preventable, UNFPA called for immediate humanitarian access, urging: '#OpenUpGaza Let aid in.' UN agencies continue to report severe restrictions on humanitarian access, compounding the suffering of women, children, and other vulnerable groups. Aid organizations have consistently appealed for unimpeded delivery of essential life-saving assistance. Since the genocide began in October 2023, nearly 57,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli occupation forces, the majority of whom are women and children. Constant bombardment has devastated infrastructure, triggered famine-like conditions, and contributed to the spread of disease. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant over charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Separately, "Israel" is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) released new data this week pointing to a drastic increase in child mortality across Gaza. According to a retrospective mortality survey conducted by its epidemiological unit, Epicentre, the death rate for children under five has increased tenfold since the war began. The survey covered 2,523 individuals, including MSF staff and their families. It found that the overall death rate was five times higher than pre-war levels, while mortality among newborns under one month rose sixfold. 'The children of Gaza are being decimated,' said Amande Bazerolle, deputy manager of MSF's emergency department. 'Forty-eight percent of the people who died from blast injuries among our colleagues' households were children, and 40 percent were under 10 years old.' According to the report, over 2% of those surveyed have died since October 7, 2023, and 7% have sustained injuries. Around 75% of deaths were war-related, mainly due to explosions. The survey also underscored the collapse of Gaza's healthcare system. Two-thirds of chronically ill patients reported interruptions in treatment. Even among MSF families, who had relatively better access to care, 20% experienced at least one injury from blasts or gunfire within their household. 'This is the result of the Israeli campaign to systematically destroy the health system and the means of survival of the whole population,' MSF stated. The organization called on "Israel" to halt what it described as a 'genocidal campaign,' lift the blockade, and enable urgent medical evacuations, particularly for children. Read more: 'Skin and bones': Gaza's infants starve under Israeli siege
France 24
15-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Divided EU weighs action against Israel over Gaza war
The bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds. The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel. But despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel and diplomats say there appears to be no critical mass for any move. "I was asked to give the inventory of the options that could be taken and it's up to the member states to discuss what do we do with these options," Kallas said Monday. The tone of discussions will be shaped strongly by how Israel is implementing a promise to the EU to improve humanitarian access to Gaza. Kallas said Thursday she had struck a deal with her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, to open more entry points and allow in more food. Gaza's two million residents are facing dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited aid during its devastating war with Palestinian militant group Hamas. "We see some good signs of more trucks getting in," Kallas said Monday. "But of course we know that this is not enough and we need to push more (so) that the implementation of what we have agreed also happens on the ground." At a meeting of EU and neighbouring countries in Brussels on Monday, Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said the situation in Gaza remained "catastrophic". 'No justification' Israel's Saar, speaking at the same meeting, sounded confident his country would avoid further EU action. "I'm sure not any of them will be adopted by the EU member states," said the foreign minister. "There's no justification whatsoever." While the EU appears unable for now to take any further moves against Israel, just getting to this stage has been a considerable step. The bloc only agreed to review the cooperation deal after Israel relaunched its devastating operation in Gaza following the collapse of a ceasefire in March. Until then deep divisions between countries backing Israel and those more favourable to the Palestinians had hamstrung any move. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which led to 1,219 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 people taken hostage by militants that day, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says that at least 58,386 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign. The UN considers those figures reliable. © 2025 AFP
