As Israel’s war on Gaza drags into its twentieth month, over two million Palestinians, half of them children, now face the terrifying spectre of famine. Entire families are surviving on leaves and water, while malnourished children wander rubble-strewn streets, and mothers search for crumbs of flour. What was once a humanitarian emergency is now teetering on the edge of catastrophe.

The blockade imposed since October 2023 has stripped Gaza of food, medicine, and clean water. Though Israeli authorities have permitted limited convoys to enter, humanitarian agencies warn the trickle of aid is grossly insufficient. What little does arrive is often entangled in opaque processes, mistrusted by locals and reportedly manipulated for political ends. Many residents fear that even their hunger is being weaponised.

Field reports now confirm that the threat of famine has spread far beyond the north to the displacement camps of Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah. The UN has described the current aid levels as a “drop in the ocean of humanitarian need.” Despite this, international diplomacy remains paralysed, leaving Palestinians to face starvation alone.

Gaza’s suffering is not accidental. It is the direct result of policy, blockade, and prolonged military assault. Yet, the silence of much of the international community amounts to complicity. The use of hunger as a tool of war is not just a violation of human rights, it is a stain on the world’s conscience.

In the face of mass suffering, Palestinians continue to resist, refusing to be erased by siege or starvation. Their resilience is a quiet act of defiance against a world that has too often turned its back.