Since May 2025, access to aid on the historic Gaza strip in Palestine has been limited, pushing the entire population into food insecurity and starvation. On August 20, the UN officially declared the situation as a famine after months of little to no aid for the 2 million inhabitants. Months later, humanitarian officials declared that this is the worst the situation has been since the start of conflict back in October 2023. In fact, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, on September 5, the death toll stood at a devastating 376 with 134 of those 376 being children and infants.
This famine first started after the six week ceasefire between Israel and Palestine was broken in March of 2025. The ceasefire was broken when Israel came back in protest of Hamas holding Israeli hostages, launching renewed airstrikes and cutting off aid to the Gaza Strip, affecting food security and prices, water, and sanitation, and causing the death toll to rise.
But the situation doesn’t end there. Since around 90% of the population living in the Gaza Strip have been displaced with no source of pay, getting food has become nearly impossible. It has been reported by the UN that even a small bag of flour can cost upwards of 200 US dollars. Even for people who happen to have enough money for food, acquiring it has become increasingly dangerous, as reports of people being shot and killed in the middle of the street in broad daylight have emerged. With so many hazardous conditions and critical lifelines such as the UN collapsing, the civilians are left with little resources.
This dispute has been infused within the socio economic climates in both countries, forcing a violent divide between the people. While recent news has brought more attention to the country’s ongoing conflict, the Israeli-Palestine conflict can be linked all the way back to the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. Since 1948, the rise in tension and violence between the countries has only grown worse with time. While the two countries’ tensions have been growing for decades, things escalated to another level when the Sunni Islamist political and militant organization Hamas launched a surprise attack on October 7, 2023. This attack hit Israel and killed around 1,200 people, including citizens, children, members of Israel’s security forces, and foreign nationals. While October 7th marked the start of the war in Gaza, the tension had been brewing for decades.
So, where does the situation go from here? According to IPC, the number of people facing starvation is expected to rise to nearly 641,000 by the end of September 2025. These organizations have made a call to attention to the need for aid in Gaza.
