LONDON, JERUSALEM and GAZA — In a joint statement, 115 organizations described the dire food shortage in Gaza as “mass starvation,” as the “Israeli government’s siege starves the people of Gaza.”
The organizations warned that some aid workers are now joining food lines in Gaza, saying they are “risking being shot just to feed their families.” Repeated deadly shootings around aid distribution centers have killed hundreds, according to the United Nations.
A Palestinian girl reacts as she waits to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 22, 2025.
Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters
Ten Palestinians died due to famine and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, according to a statement from Gaza Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run territory on Wednesday.
While a total number of 111 people died to hunger since the beginning of the war, 25 of them, including at least four children, have died just in the past 48 hours, the ministry said. Many supplies are now totally depleted, according to aid organizations.
The joint statement accused the Israeli government of implementing “restrictions, delays, and fragmentation” with a total siege of the Gaza Strip, resulting in “chaos, starvation, and death” of Palestinians.
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 23, 2025.
Mahmoud Issa/Reuters
Citing reports from doctors, the statement warned of “record rates of acute malnutrition,” saying they are being seen particularly among children and older people. An aid worker providing psychosocial support is quoted in part saying: “Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.”
Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children and Oxfam International were among the international aid groups that signed the statement.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
