The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) warns of the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip after more than 600 days of ongoing aggression and genocide. A man-made famine is unfolding as a result of the suffocating blockade and the systematic destruction of 95% of agricultural land, according to reports by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Gaza is currently experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. Famine now threatens the lives of all residents, especially in the northern areas, where people suffer under relentless bombardment and forced displacement, enduring levels of hunger that surpass catastrophe. Children are dying daily from malnutrition, dehydration, and diseases caused by contaminated water — They are war crimes driven by political will and collective punishment.
Only 5% of arable land remains intact after Israel destroyed farms, seeds, irrigation networks, fishing infrastructure, and even animals and fruit-bearing trees. Once producing over 30% of its own food needs, Gaza is now unable to meet basic daily sustenance due to systematic policies aimed at dismantling food sovereignty.
After more than 600 days of genocide and starvation, we declare the following:
1. We condemn the international silence in the face of genocide, and demand the immediate lifting of the blockade and the opening of crossings to allow food, medicine, and fuel in sufficient quantities for 2.3 million people.
2. We call on the international community to impose immediate sanctions on Israel for violating the International Court of Justice’s ruling to halt acts of starvation.
3. We denounce the failure of the UN system to uphold international humanitarian law, and demand an independent investigation into the targeting of farmers and fishers, many of whom have been killed or injured.
4. We call for urgent funding to rehabilitate the remaining 5% of agricultural land and to protect farmers who are risking their lives to save what remains under ongoing bombardment.
5. We affirm that the ongoing famine is a deliberate crime, and that saving Gaza requires ending the aggression and rebuilding the agricultural system as a prerequisite for any political solution.
6. We urge all parties to uphold the principles of humanitarian action — humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and transparency — and to ensure that humanitarian aid remains civilian in nature and reaches its intended recipients. We stress the importance of adhering to previously established distribution mechanisms that respect humanitarian principles, in order to prevent further casualties caused by deadly ambushes by the Israeli military and private security contractors.
We reiterate that food sovereignty is a human right, and that any sustainable future for Gaza must be built on the reconstruction of a just and resilient agricultural system — free from occupation, blockade, and war.
We also call on all freedom-loving people and supporters of justice around the world to intensify protests and mass actions against the genocide and starvation.
Food cannot be separated from freedom.
Gaza is starving… and the world watches.