“The food meant for civilians is being turned into a weapon.” With these stark words, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) issued a statement on Monday, denouncing one of the cruelest tactics seen in conflict: using hunger as a tool of war.
According to UN data, exactly one month after the beginning of aid distribution activities in Gaza by Ghf, at least 410 people have been killed and over 3,000 injured while trying to reach distribution points for food and essential supplies. These are not casualties from the battlefield but from places that should represent the possibility of survival. It is an average of thirteen deaths per day, in addition to those killed directly in the ongoing conflict. Just yesterday, 74 people lost their lives, including 33 Gazans who were seeking aid.
Testimonies from humanitarian organizations and local journalists describe chaotic scenes at distribution points, where people risk bombardments and violence simply to access a portion of food or water. Food becomes leverage, a means of control, leaving civilians trapped between starvation and violence with no safe option.
This is not an isolated incident. In many contemporary conflicts, blocking or controlling humanitarian aid has become a deliberate strategy to weaken civilian populations and force desperate decisions. In Gaza, conditions have worsened severely: food supplies are nearly depleted, clean water is scarce, and medical infrastructure is collapsing under the weight of continuous emergencies.
The Ocha’s statement raises urgent questions about the role of the international community and the protection of civilians during conflict. International humanitarian law is clear: starvation must not be used as a method of warfare, and all parties must allow aid to reach civilians safely. Yet these principles are repeatedly ignored, and the international silence becomes complicity.
Behind every number is a name, a face, a story. There are those who died while trying to secure a bag of flour for their families, children who walked for hours to reach a distribution point and never returned, mothers holding their children in endless lines for bread under the threat of violence. These are not abstract figures in a report; they are lives that should move us to action.
Even from afar, we can respond: by staying informed and sharing verified information to combat disinformation; by supporting NGOs and humanitarian organizations working on the ground; by demanding from our political representatives the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors; and by refusing to let these crises fade from attention.
Using hunger as a weapon is a violation of the most fundamental human rights, and when the world remains silent, it enables this violence to continue. We cannot be mere spectators to a tragedy that claims the most vulnerable, day after day. We must listen, look beyond the numbers, and demand the right to life and dignity for all people, even in the world’s hardest places.
Sources:
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), June 2025 statements
- UN Human Rights Council, updates on the humanitarian situation in Gaza
- Field testimonies collected by humanitarian NGOs operating in Gaza
- Reports from local journalists and verified aid distribution monitoring data
