Famine in Gaza: History will judge us not only by what we did, but also by what we did not do

The recent report The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report on the food situation in Gaza sheds light on the alarming humanitarian crisis that threatens the survival of its inhabitants. Some 96 percent of its population, 2.15 million people, face high levels of acute food insecurity, which is unacceptable and requires immediate action by the international community.

The right to adequate food is a fundamental human right recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966. States have a legal obligation to ensure the right to adequate food without discrimination. In Gaza, this right is being severely undermined due to military operations and restrictions on access to humanitarian aid. Since October 2023, hostilities have devastated agri-food systems, infrastructure and water supplies. The destruction of agricultural land, food processing facilities and markets, coupled with severe restrictions on humanitarian aid, have created a catastrophic food crisis.

The Geneva Conventions and their Protocols are clear: starvation as a method of warfare is prohibited. Attacks on objects indispensable to the survival of civilians, such as food and water, are unacceptable. In Gaza, these protections are not respected. The military blockade has severely restricted the movement of goods and people, preventing the entry of food, medicine and other essential supplies. Bombings and military operations have destroyed agricultural land and critical infrastructure, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

The impact of the conflict on the health and nutrition of the population is devastating. The combination of food shortages and poor diet has led to increased health risks, especially among the most vulnerable groups. Consumption of sometimes spoiled food, collapsed public supplies and services, together with overcrowding in shelters with poor levels of water and hygiene, increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.

Consumption of sometimes spoiled food, overwhelmed public supplies and services, and overcrowding in shelters with poor levels of water and hygiene, increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.

The FAO report underlines the urgent need for all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international law. They must allow safe access for humanitarian aid. They must also facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian personnel and open all access points to allow food to reach vulnerable populations.

The international community also has a crucial role to play. It is essential to step up efforts to ensure immediate access to food by allocating sufficient financial resources. Support to organisations such as FAO, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which are vital to the delivery of essential services in Gaza, must be a priority. Reopening food trade and resuming the production of fresh and perishable foods in the Strip itself is essential.

UN Security Council Resolution 2417 of 2018 emphasizes the relationship between armed conflict and food insecurity, condemning the use of famine as a weapon of war and highlighting the urgent need to ensure humanitarian access to affected populations. Effective implementation of this resolution is crucial to protecting the rights of civilians in Gaza and elsewhere affected by armed conflict.

Reopening food trade and resuming production of fresh and perishable foods in the Strip itself is essential.

The FAO report also recommends that the UN Security Council consider launching an independent and impartial investigation to assess the extent to which the right to food has been violated by the parties to the conflict and those supporting them.

The response to the crisis in Gaza cannot wait. The international community must take decisive action to protect the right to food and ensure a future where human dignity is respected and valued at all times. Protecting the right to food in the Strip is a matter of humanitarian urgency and a legal obligation. Peace and justice are not only the foundations of the UN, but also the hopes of millions of people in Gaza who struggle for their daily survival.

The international community cannot remain a passive spectator. It must act with urgency and determination to protect the right to food and ensure a future where human dignity and rights are truly universal. Every day that passes is another day of suffering for the people of Gaza. It is time for it to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and take concrete steps to alleviate this humanitarian crisis. History will judge us not only by what we did, but also by what we did not do.