When Palestinian, international, and other officials sit down to discuss the entry of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, and when they drink their morning coffee and choose their preferred type of milk (in a glass or a disposable cardboard cup), they and others are complicit in the famine. When they debate whether it is appropriate to serve fish for dinner, Qatari or Lebanese, they are complicit in the famine. Even when they sleep at night, they are complicit in the famine.
Amid the Iran-Israel war, and with the world already preoccupied with the genocide in Gaza, even some Palestinians are still practicing genocide through systematic killing, destruction, starvation, and deprivation of water, while the drinking water crisis deepens as fuel runs out.
Since the end of May, nearly 400 people, known as "humanitarian aid beneficiaries," have been killed and hundreds more wounded outside the Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation's centers. Vehicles carrying aid from international relief agencies are being attacked by crowds of hungry people.
In Gaza, hunger is no longer just an internal feeling or a humanitarian emergency, but an official policy and a systematic weapon in the hands of the Israeli occupation. Tens of thousands of civilians are marching long kilometers, in a tragic scene that echoes the narratives of major famines. They march under bombardment, tank fire, and the drone of drones, all for a bag of flour or a carton of canned goods that would not last an average family for two days.
This is not just starvation, but a violation and shattering of human dignity, and a collective punishment carried out with meticulous calculations, leaving the population between two fires: death by starvation or death by bullets. The so-called humanitarian corridors are turning into death traps. The queues of women, children, and the elderly are nothing more than moving targets, ignored by international institutions, or content with verbal condemnation and documentation that has become useless.
The daily scene in Gaza repeats itself like a hellish ritual of mass death. Waves of humanity, exhausted by need, set out in the early morning hours toward aid trucks, only to find themselves caught in a vicious circle: reconnaissance aircraft, tank and sniper fire, chaos, gangs, and the complete collapse of civil order. Each time, dozens are killed, hundreds injured, and the Israeli propaganda machine never ceases to justify the killings with "mistakes" or threats to troops, as if mistakes have become the norm and policy is brutality.
Food in Gaza today is not a right, it's a trap. With every meal allowed through, a massacre is being prepared. The distributed carton carries more than just food; it carries a message of humiliation and subjugation: that Gazans have no dignity except what the fascist occupying state allows, and that life is only granted conditionally.
What's even more horrific than the crime is international complicity. Where is the United Nations? Where are the humanitarian agencies? Where are those who speak of the "law of armed conflict," the "right to food," and the "international protection of civilians"? As if Gaza lies outside geography and outside the law, as if Palestinian meteors are not considered human beings.
In Gaza, the siege is no longer just a siege; it has become a complete scene of soft genocide and blatant, legitimate killing. Some die from bullets, some die of hunger, some die of disease, and some wait their turn. Amidst this hell, the voices of Gazans continue to rise, not just for food, but for dignity, life, and freedom. As long as these voices live, the crime will not be forgotten, and silence about it will not be forgiven.
This bloody scene cannot be understood outside the context of Israel's policy of collective punishment, which has been pursued for years and has today reached its peak. The blockade imposed on Gaza for more than 18 years is not merely an economic or security siege; it is a project to impoverish, starve, and dismantle Palestinian society. In its ongoing war, the Israeli occupation has not only destroyed homes and infrastructure, but has also declared war on the right to food, on water, and on life itself.
Under the banner of "humanitarian aid," the so-called "Gaza Humanitarian Company" was launched. This is a dubious project that intersects with private capital, American and Israeli military and security agencies, and some local Palestinian parties. Given the weakness of international institutions, the project was marketed as a life-saving initiative, while in reality it is a tool of control and domination, enshrining a policy of collective humiliation and commodification of suffering. Food no longer reaches the people directly, but rather through channels governed by permits, coordinates, and aerial surveillance, all of which are managed with a purely military logic: who gets fed, when, in what quantity, and under what circumstances.
The international community, which turns a blind eye to this murderous charade, is complicit in the crime, both directly and indirectly. By remaining silent, it is giving Israel cover to continue its colonial project and transforming aid into a means of pressure rather than a means of rescue.
As for the Palestinian Authority, completely absent from the scene, it has voluntarily abandoned its role, leaving the arena to generals, private companies, and brokers, in a complete political and moral collapse.
What is happening in Gaza today is not just a humanitarian tragedy, but a full-blown political crime. Hunger is drenched in blood, aid is delivered by machine guns, and hope is besieged by tanks. Unless this murderous regime is broken and its perpetrators held accountable, famine will continue, and death will remain the only food Gazans can eat.
شارك برأيك
Hunger Drenched in Blood: Gaza Between Siege and Daily Carnage