The dark history of forced starvation as a weapon of war against Indigenous peoples

Yazan Abu Ful, a 2-year-old malnourished child, sitting in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on July 23, 2025. AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi

There is increasing evidence that “widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease” are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths“ in Gaza, a group of United Nations and aid organizations have repeatedly warned.

A July 29, 2025, alert by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative for improving food security and nutrition, reported that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,” as access to food and other essential items is dropping to an “unprecedented level.”