Geneva — United Nations Special Rapporteur Michael Fakhri has stated that the starvation of Palestinians is not only deliberate but constitutes a war crime, a crime against humanity, and genocide. His declaration has intensified growing international outrage over what is now being recognized as a state-engineered famine in the enclave.
Michael Fakhri, who serves as the UN’s top expert on the right to food, warned that Israel has constructed what he called “the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine.” According to him, this is not an accidental humanitarian failure but a methodical use of food deprivation as a weapon of war.
The blockade imposed on Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel has left over two million Palestinians under siege. Necessities like food, water, fuel, electricity, and medical aid have been systematically cut off by Israeli authorities. With international aid throttled and entry routes choked, Gaza’s civilian population has spiraled into unprecedented levels of hunger.
Fakhri confirmed that this campaign of starvation meets the legal definition of genocide, citing overwhelming evidence. The total siege, food insecurity, and soaring prices have resulted in dozens of children dying from starvation and hundreds of thousands more suffering acute malnutrition. Hospitals have collapsed, famine is widespread, and food is now essentially a battlefield.
International institutions, including the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), have verified that northern Gaza is already in a worst-case famine scenario. Aid groups have reported that families are boiling weeds and animal feed to survive. Food prices have jumped by more than 1,400 percent.
While the world continues to amplify the Ukraine conflict and obsess over the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the ongoing genocide in Gaza unfolds with Western complicity and silence. Experts argue that the West, particularly the United States and Europe, has failed not only morally but legally in its responsibility to prevent such atrocities.
Michael Fakhri has demanded that countries impose sanctions on Israel, halt all arms shipments, and deploy UN peacekeepers to escort humanitarian aid convoys. He warned that the global community can no longer feign ignorance. “No one should be surprised,” Fakhri said. “The evidence has been public. The starvation has been documented. This is a genocide, and it has been live-streamed.”
According to The Guardian, Michael Fakhri published his findings on August 4, 2025, declaring that Israel’s starvation of Gaza is a coordinated campaign with genocidal intent. The report highlights how Israel’s political and military leaders explicitly designed policies to deprive the population of food. The article also notes that the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany continue to provide diplomatic and military cover for Israel, making them complicit in the unfolding catastrophe. Fakhri stated, “This isn’t a famine caused by drought or natural disaster. It is man-made, politically manufactured starvation.” He accused global powers of hiding behind bureaucracy to avoid accountability.
Also noted by Arab News, Fakhri described the situation as genocide, war crime, and crime against humanity, and warned that international institutions have had more than 500 days of documented warnings. The article emphasized that Fakhri is urging governments to take bold action to protect the Palestinian people, not just with humanitarian gestures but through legal and military enforcement against Israeli aggression. Arab News also reported that international agencies and courts must stop minimizing Israel’s actions and acknowledge that the legal criteria for genocide have already been met.
