UN chief calls Gaza’s hunger crisis a ‘deliberate mass starvation’

The head of the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee arm described the situation in Gaza as a “constructed and deliberate mass starvation” on Friday, July 25, as the number of Palestinians dying of hunger in the enclave continues to mount. Meanwhile, on Friday, Israel and the U.S. walked away from ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, and France declared its intentions to recognize a sovereign Palestinian state.

‘Manmade hunger’

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency, is speaking in ever blunter terms, accusing Israel of a “manmade hunger” and “deliberate mass starvation.”

In a series of posts on X between Friday and Saturday, Lazzarini wrote that “The flawed distribution system (GHF) is not designed to address the humanitarian crisis. It’s serving military & political objectives.” GHF is a reference to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.- and Israeli-backed contractor that has overseen a chaotic and deadly aid distribution scheme since May.  

Lazzarini followed that post up by saying, “A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will.”

Lazzarini’s posts come after Israel on Friday said it will allow foreign governments to resume airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Airdrops have been used previously, with countries such as Jordan, the United States and the United Kingdom delivering aid from military aircraft in 2024. However, humanitarian agencies have cautioned that these efforts were insufficient and sometimes dangerous.

For example, in March 2024, five people died after a parachute malfunctioned and dropped a heavy parcel onto civilians. There have also been reports of people drowning while attempting to retrieve supplies that landed in the sea.

“Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation,” Lazzarini wrote on Friday.  “They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians. It is a distraction & screensmoke.”

Israel denies reports of starvation

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 48 people have died due to malnutrition in the past three weeks –– more than four times the number of people who died due to similar causes throughout the first five months of 2025. Additionally, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 20 children have died from severe acute malnutrition since January 2025 –– 13 of those deaths occurred in July alone.

Israel insists reports from international aid organizations are overblown, with an anonymous official telling reporters Tuesday, July 22, that the government has “not identified starvation at this current point in time.” However, the official went on to acknowledge that “action is required to stabilize the humanitarian situation.”

The Times of Israel also notes that approvals for aid trucks are “hard to obtain,” and that trucks that enter Gaza without approval “come under deadly IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] fire.” According to OCHA, between July 16 and July 22, roughly 30% of 75 attempts to coordinate aid distribution with the Israeli government were “fully facilitated.”  

Ceasefire negotiations stall, international pressure grows

Meanwhile, weeks of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas broke down Friday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s considering “alternative options,” without elaborating on what those options might be.

President Donald Trump also said on Friday that “Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal,” adding, “I think they want to die, and it’s very bad. It got to a point where you have to finish the job.” The U.S. president reportedly made the comments following a phone call with Netanyahu.

As a result, Israel’s delegation, as well as the U.S. delegation led by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, departed Doha. Qatar has been acting as a mediator in the talks, alongside Egypt.

Axios reports that Israel had agreed to a Qatari- and Egyptian-backed ceasefire proposal, but that they abandoned the talks once Hamas made a counterproposal. Hamas’ response, Witkoff said, “shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire.” Netanyahu added that the U.S. and Israel would consider “alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’ terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region.”

At the same time, international condemnation of Israel is beginning to grow. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced that his government will recognize a sovereign Palestinian state.

In response, Netanyahu said it rewarded terrorism and undermined Israel’s security. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also rejected the decision, calling it reckless and harmful to peace efforts.

France joins recent actions by Ireland, Norway and Spain in recognizing a Palestinian state. Roughly 75%, or 147 of the U.N.’s 193 member states, similarly recognize a sovereign Palestinian nation.

On Friday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres wrote on X, “Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis – it is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.”