ActionAid Condemns Deliberate Starvation in Gaza as IPC Formally Declares Famine
Today, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has formally declared famine in Gaza after months of deliberate starvation imposed through the Israeli government’s blockade of lifesaving aid. The repeated closure of border crossings, the obstruction of humanitarian convoys, and the weaponisation of food and medical supplies constitute collective punishment – a war crime under international law.
For months, ActionAid and partners have warned that famine was inevitable if the siege continued. Now, the consequences are undeniable and catastrophic. Mothers are being forced to feed their babies with unsafe substitutes for milk; children are dying from preventable causes; and entire families, including ActionAid staff and humanitarian workers, are starving.
Dr. Ra’ed Al-Baba, Al Awda Hospital, states: “There are mothers who resort to using legume water, herbs, and other alternatives to infant milk because of the severe shortage. These methods carry catastrophic risks, causing gastroenteritis, food poisoning, delayed growth, severe anaemia, and even the inability to move. We have seen cases of extreme dehydration from polluted water mixed with these substitutes. This is not survival, this is slow death.”
The devastating consequences of famine and the aid blockade are being felt by everyone. Humanitarian workers, ActionAid staff and our partners are unable to feed themselves and their families.
Faten, Senior Project Officer with WEFAQ, an ActionAid partner, says:
“In the past two months, I have lost 20 kilograms. My children have lost weight and are malnourished. We haven’t had proper meals for three days. I am exhausted, dizzy, and terrified my children will get sicker. I cry daily. This is the first time in my life I have wished I didn’t have children – because watching them waste away is unbearable.”
ActionAid is calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the full and unfettered entry of humanitarian aid.
Jamil Sawalmeh, Country Director, ActionAid Palestine, warns: “Today the world has woken up to see the famine officially declared, something we have been warning about for months. The famine in Gaza is a war crime. It is a man-made catastrophe, driven by deliberate political decisions. I am sure we will hear words of condemnation across the world, but where is the action?
Everything feels all too familiar. Only last week, the inhumane planned occupation of Gaza City was announced, yet another blatant breach of international humanitarian law. Hundreds of thousands of starving people will once again be displaced. The Israeli government continues to act with impunity.
“The ongoing forced mass displacement in Gaza, paired with famine and weaponised aid, amounts to collective punishment for the people of Gaza. Aid drops are a distraction; the humanitarian situation is a death trap, and Gaza has become hell on earth. The international community must act now; not with words, but with meaningful actions, and diplomatic pressure to end the war and uphold international law.”