Alex de Waal, an expert on famine and humanitarian response, stated in an article in the "New York Times" that the process of starvation in the Gaza Strip is not a coincidence, but rather the result of deliberate Israeli decisions to restrict aid and prevent relief, with the international community failing to intervene effectively. He explained that famine does not occur randomly, but is intentionally manufactured, and that the suffering will leave lasting effects on children, particularly physically and mentally, threatening a complete social collapse that could lead to an explosion of chaos and violence.

The article quoted a UN-backed group stating that the worst scenarios of famine have already begun, and that the absence of an official classification of what is happening in Gaza as famine is no longer significant, given the severity of the situation on the ground. Since last March, Israel has tightened its grip on the Strip, claiming without evidence that Hamas is stealing UN aid, which has undermined the work of humanitarian agencies.

In May, the occupation imposed a new system for distributing aid through a private organization called the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," which is US-backed, leading to the exclusion of traditional agencies and a decline in the effectiveness of relief efforts. The food rations provided by the foundation are unbalanced and lack essential elements, especially for children suffering from malnutrition, as preparing these foods requires clean water and fuel that are unavailable in Gaza.

De Waal criticized the reduction of aid distribution centers from about 400 to only 4, and their opening for short periods, leading to gatherings near dangerous military sites, where residents faced gunfire and casualties during stampedes. He also downplayed the effectiveness of air drops, describing them as symbolic, as the quantities do not contribute effectively to alleviating the crisis and do not reach the most vulnerable groups.

He pointed out that the Israeli accusations against Hamas of looting aid are not supported by documented facts, although the UN proposed a plan to ensure transparency that includes monitoring through QR codes and GPS tracking, but it has not been activated. He explained that the current chaos, where food is looted or sold on the black market, is a direct result of "deliberate Israeli engineering," and that those who carry weapons do not suffer from hunger first.

In comparison to the situation in Sudan, De Waal confirmed that the disaster there is similar in terms of the severity of hunger, but the difference is that the international community in Gaza is ready and able to intervene immediately if there is political will. He concluded his article with a sharp message stating that Netanyahu's government could allow children in Gaza to have breakfast tomorrow if it wanted, and that what Palestinians need is real permission for relief teams to operate freely and efficiently, warning that the world cannot wait until children's graves are dug or it is declared that what happened is famine or genocide, and then simply say that it will not happen again.