Over 100 Aid Groups Warn of ‘Mass Starvation’ in Gaza Amid Ongoing Israel-Hamas Conflict
Gaza City, July 23, 2025 – More than 115 humanitarian and human rights organizations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children, and Oxfam, issued a dire warning on Wednesday, July 22, 2025, that “mass starvation” is spreading across Gaza due to Israel’s ongoing military campaign and aid blockade. The joint statement, signed by 111 groups, describes a catastrophic humanitarian crisis where “our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away,” with aid workers themselves joining food lines and risking their lives to feed their families. The groups urgently called for an immediate ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings, and unrestricted aid flow through UN-led mechanisms.
The crisis stems from Israel’s blockade, which began on March 2, 2025, halting all humanitarian and commercial supplies into Gaza for nearly two months, the longest such ban since the war’s onset in October 2023. Although partially eased in late May, the blockade has led to severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel, exacerbating hunger and disease. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health reported 10 deaths from malnutrition in the last 24 hours as of July 22, bringing the total to 111 since the war began, including 25 in the past 48 hours, with four children among them. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with 90,000 requiring urgent treatment.
“Doctors report record rates of acute malnutrition, especially among children and older people. Illnesses like acute watery diarrhea are spreading, markets are empty, waste is piling up, and adults are collapsing on the streets from hunger and dehydration,” the aid groups stated. A particularly harrowing account from an aid worker noted, “Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.” Warehouses just outside Gaza, and even within, hold tons of untouched food, water, and medical supplies, blocked by access restrictions, with UNRWA reporting thousands of aid trucks stranded at the border.
Israel, which controls Gaza’s border crossings, denies responsibility for the crisis, accusing Hamas of engineering shortages by stealing aid for resale or military use. The Israeli military’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) claimed on July 21 that 4,500 aid trucks, carrying 2,500 tons of baby food and high-calorie children’s food, entered Gaza over the past two months, with 950 trucks awaiting UN distribution inside Gaza. Israeli spokesperson David Mencer asserted, “There is no famine caused by Israel. There is a man-made shortage engineered by Hamas.” However, the UN, European Commission, and aid groups dispute these claims, stating no evidence supports significant Hamas diversion of aid.
The crisis has been compounded by violence at aid distribution points, with the UN reporting over 1,000 Palestinians killed since late May while seeking food, particularly at sites run by the Israel- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which sidelined the UN-led system. On July 20, 92 Palestinians were shot dead at Zikim crossing and aid points in Rafah and Khan Younis, with medics reporting 79 deaths in northern Gaza alone. The UN human rights office (OHCHR) condemned the use of lethal force near aid convoys, citing “repeated incidents” that could constitute war crimes, as victims posed no threat.
International pressure is mounting, with 28 Western nations, including the UK, France, and Canada, condemning the “drip feeding of aid” on July 21 and urging an immediate end to the war. Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin called the situation a “stain” and “shame” on Israel, demanding a “massive surge” in aid. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the “horror” as unprecedented, while France attributed the famine risk to Israel’s blockade. Ceasefire talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S., have stalled despite reported progress, with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff set to discuss a potential truce and aid corridor in Europe.
The conflict, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,219 people, has led to 59,219 Palestinian deaths, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. As Gaza faces a “vicious cycle” of malnutrition and disease, with 90% of residents eating one meal or less every other day, the aid groups’ plea underscores the urgent need for action to avert further catastrophe. For updates, visit www.unrwa.org or www.who.int.