On May 11, just hours before Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander was released by Hamas, the nation of Gaza was celebrating news of a nearing ceasefire. Soon after Edan was received by his family, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country is "on the eve of a forceful entry to Gaza". While international politicians negotiate and Palestinian civilians are deceived over and over again, Gaza slowly sinks into a man-made famine caused by an almost 3-month-long blockade of food and medical aid.
A recent UN report suggests that 93% of the population of Gaza is currently living through high levels of acute food insecurity, with 1 in 5 people at risk of death due to starvation. A situation of unimaginable horrors in Gaza is once again at the mercy of a temperamental fascist.
Exactly a year ago, the people of Gaza were reportedly boiling weeds and eating animal feed to stave off their hunger. Now, the situation has worsened even further. Warehouses of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that store aid stand empty, along with most supermarkets and local shops.
If food miraculously exists, it sits as a mere symbol of unattainability for most of the population. This is because food prices have soared for basic goods such as wheat flour — which has experienced a three thousand per cent price spike since February.
As Israel purposefully starves almost 2 million people by refusing to let any food or medical supplies enter the region, it blames Hamas for causing hunger by allegedly stealing aid. But the extended blockade along with threats of escalated violence paint only one picture: Israel is wilfully using starvation as a weapon of war. It is loudly and publicly engaging in a war crime and an open human rights violation — all while international communities and leaders stand by and watch.
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