The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) warns of the escalating food catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli occupation forces [IOF] continue to implement a systematic starvation policy under the guise of repeated claims about opening “safe corridors” and declaring illusory humanitarian truces—none of which have resulted in any tangible improvements on the ground. While such statements echo in international media, the daily reality in Gaza reveals a growing number of starved people and starvation-related deaths, as residents continue to be deprived of food, flour, and medicine—denied access with dignity or safety.

PCHR confirms that over the past 72 hours, only around 270 aid trucks have entered the Strip, according to official figures¹. This number does not even meet half the basic daily requirement for the population, which is estimated at more than 600 trucks per day to meet minimum food and humanitarian needs and to halt the spread of famine. Therefore, the starvation policy remains in full force—and is deepening—due to the lack of real humanitarian corridors or secure and equitable distribution mechanisms.

Based on documented field observations, PCHR also notes that no safe routes have been allocated for aid distribution. On Monday, July 28, 2025, Israeli forces committed a horrific crime by targeting a group of civilian protection volunteers—individuals organized by families and local clans to safeguard the distribution of aid in northern Gaza—killing 11 of them. This attack is part of a deliberate Israeli policy to dismantle any form of grassroots relief efforts and entrench chaos as a tool to perpetuate hunger and control the population’s humanitarian conditions.

PCHR asserts that current actions on the ground fall far short of the required humanitarian response. Instead, they serve to manufacture a misleading image that conceals the reality of slow, mass killing by starvation. The ongoing denial of food, the ban on importing baby formula and nutritional supplements, and the assault on community distribution mechanisms all constitute violations of international humanitarian law, amounting to crimes.

PCHR reiterates that the most vulnerable groups—patients, mothers, and infants—remain at immediate risk of death from famine and malnutrition. In the past 48 hours alone, hospitals across Gaza recorded 21 new deaths due to malnutrition, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths to 154, including 89 children². PCHR expresses grave concern over the mounting toll of

victims due to Israel’s starvation policy, which meets all three internationally recognized IPC criteria for declaring a famine: high mortality rates, widespread acute malnutrition, and a complete lack of food access. These conditions, which PCHR previously warned of earlier in July 2025, have now materialized.

PCHR is also deeply concerned about the resumption of airdropped aid deliveries, with approximately 15 airdrops occurring in recent days. However, their combined payload is equivalent to just three trucks, and most of the packages landed in dangerous areas near Israeli military positions—proving that this method offers neither adequate relief nor safety for civilians and instead turns humanitarian aid into a tool of humiliation and risk.

Under Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the occupying power bears direct responsibility for ensuring food and medical supplies reach the civilian population. The ongoing collapse of Gaza’s essential services and life infrastructure—due to Israel’s starvation policy—represents a textbook case of genocide, where starvation is used as a weapon of slow death. In the past month, Gaza has witnessed a catastrophic decline in health and food indicators, with nearly 2 million Palestinians cut off from basic food sources. Over 470,000 individuals are now in IPC Phase 5 (“catastrophic food insecurity”)³ a hunger condition not caused by natural or emergency factors, but by an intentional Israeli policy using food and water as tools of war.

PCHR stresses that the continued silence and inaction of the international community—particularly the failure to hold Israel accountable—poses a direct threat to the global system of values and international legitimacy. What Gaza needs is not airshow-style aid drops, or televised images of trucks stalled outside its borders. Gaza needs an immediate cessation of the aggression, including a complete end to the siege and starvation, through the unrestricted entry of humanitarian and commercial goods, and the guarantee of Palestinians’ rights to life and dignity.

In light of these rapidly worsening conditions, PCHR declares that famine is no longer a looming threat, but a daily reality, worsening by the hour. It calls for urgent and genuine intervention, beyond rhetorical condemnations or superficial gestures. The centre urges the United Nations and its agencies to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the food crisis, officially declare its findings, and act on the ensuing legal obligations that require all states to intervene to halt Israel’s starvation policy. It also calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to immediately open an investigation into the ongoing crime of starvation, within the broader context of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Gaza’s population for over 22 months.

Once again, PCHR stresses that the European Union, which recently announced humanitarian understandings with Israeli authorities, must provide a clear explanation of these arrangements, which have yet to produce any visible improvements on the ground. Using these understandings as diplomatic cover for continued crimes amounts to complicity. PCHR holds EU member states legally and morally responsible if the situation continues unchecked and calls on them to conduct meaningful field monitoring of the implementation of any agreements.

Finally, PCHR reminds all stakeholders that the complete eradication of hunger and poverty is a cornerstone of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thus, the continued denial of food, water, and healthcare to Palestinians in Gaza is not just a blatant violation of international law, but a devastating blow to one of the most fundamental promises of the global community—to leave no one behind.

1. Government Media Office, Press Statement No. (910)–(913) ↩︎
2. Ministry of Health, two separate press statements, 28–29 July 2025. Link ↩︎
3. Famine Risk Report Across All Areas of the Gaza Strip, 12 May 2025. Link ↩︎