Resistance blames UN delay, 'Israel' blockade for famine in Gaza
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Palestinian Resistance factions denounce the UN for its late famine declaration in Gaza, calling for action to end "Israel's" blockade amid deepening humanitarian crisis.
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Palestinians struggle to collect humanitarian aid airdropped into Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, August 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinian Resistance factions have condemned the United Nations’ delayed recognition of famine conditions in Gaza City, calling on Arab and Islamic nations to move beyond statements of condemnation and take decisive, practical measures to break the siege imposed by "Israel".
In a statement issued Saturday, the factions stated, “The United Nations’ declaration that Gaza City has reached famine levels came far too late, after months of relentless blockade.” They urged the international community, especially the states party to the Geneva Conventions, to act immediately in accordance with international famine response protocols.
The factions also called on Arab and Islamic governments to go beyond symbolic rhetoric and implement real steps to lift the siege. They appealed to the Arab and Muslim publics, along with all free people around the world, to “mobilize in support of the besieged and starving in Gaza.”
They stressed that “the battle for Gaza is not the Palestinians’ alone, but one that concerns the entire region and all who face the threat it represents.”
Over half a million facing starvation in Gaza
On August 22, 2025, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) officially declared famine in the Gaza Governorate, marking the first time such a designation has been made outside of Africa.
All three critical famine thresholds, extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths, have been surpassed. Without immediate intervention, the IPC warns that famine conditions will soon engulf Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis as well.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the situation “a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself.” He affirmed that "Israel," as the occupying power, has “unequivocal obligations under international law” to ensure the delivery of food and medical aid.
Expanding humanitarian crisis
Since October 2023, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed, and over 157,000 wounded. At least 273 deaths from famine have been confirmed, including 112 children.
Nearly 40% of Gaza’s population is going entire days without eating, while children face catastrophic levels of malnutrition. By July 2025, over 12,000 children were acutely malnourished, a sixfold increase since the start of the year.
Additionally, roughly 20% of Palestinian martyrs after the collapse of the ceasefire were killed by the IOF while getting aid. Aid site massacres have left 2,060 civilians martyred and 15,197 wounded, per the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
