By José Graziano da Silva | 22/08/2025

The official confirmation that more than half a million people are now living in famine conditions in Gaza marks a tragic milestone in the recent history of hunger. It is the first time the concept of famine has been applied to describe what is happening in the Middle East. Sadly, it is not the first time hunger has been used as a weapon of war. Before Gaza, the United Nations had already recognized two similar situations: Somalia in 2011 and South Sudan in 2017. In both cases, which I faced during my tenure as Director-General of FAO, armed conflict and blockades prevented food and humanitarian aid from reaching the civilian population, while combatants remained well supplied.

I had the opportunity to visit Somalia in 2012, immediately after the most intense fighting had ceased. At that moment, it was possible to restore a minimal emergency social protection program to complement traditional food distribution. In partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), FAO introduced cash transfers—still rarely used at that time to combat hunger. In just six months, famine was officially overcome. I vividly remember a striking scene: outside the refugee camp, hundreds of small traders stood with donkeys loaded with goods. Yet inside the camp, people were dying of hunger and thirst because they had no money. Once cash transfers were introduced, these traders began supplying food to the population. The solution was simple: food was available, but people lacked the means to access it—just as is still the case in much of the world today.

In South Sudan, which I visited in 2017 alongside the heads of WFP and UNICEF, the situation was different. The newly independent country was engulfed in a devastating internal conflict. Agricultural production had collapsed, and entire communities were under siege. Hunger was once again being used as a weapon. Here, the challenge was not only economic access but also physical access: safe passage had to be negotiated to deliver seeds, tools, and humanitarian assistance to isolated areas. It was a difficult task, involving talks with the warring parties, but essential to prevent further loss of life.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an official famine declaration occurs when food scarcity reaches Phase 5 and several of the following criteria are met: the death rate exceeds 2 deaths per 10,000 people per day; more than 20 percent of households face acute food shortages or no access at all; more than 30 percent of the population suffers from acute malnutrition; and the death rate for children under five exceeds 4 deaths per 10,000 children per day. Tragically, these thresholds are now confirmed in Gaza.

In Gaza, the tragedy is even more cruel. Israel systematically blocks humanitarian aid from entering, preventing the delivery of food, medicine, and fuel. Using hunger as a weapon of war is a crime against humanity. Unlike in Somalia, where we quickly managed to restore food security through simple social protection measures, in Gaza it is not even possible to deliver food to those who need it. UN agencies report that 98 percent of agricultural land is destroyed, nine out of ten people have been displaced from their homes, and 12,000 children became acutely malnourished in July alone. These are numbers that cry out for urgent action.

These episodes show that famine does not occur by chance or as an act of nature, but through deliberate human action. In all these situations, war is the determining factor—but not the only one: denying international humanitarian assistance is just as critical. And while Gaza lives through this tragedy today, the entire world faces a new threat.

The recent decision by President Trump to dismantle USAID—the largest U.S. development agency and the main funder of international humanitarian organizations—signals a clear intent to undermine global food aid. It is as if we are waiting for hunger to spread on a much larger scale worldwide, particularly in Africa, where millions depend on such assistance to survive.

FAO’s experience shows that protecting agriculture, fisheries, and livestock means protecting life itself. By saving livelihoods and building resilience, we help lay the foundations for peace. That was the spirit behind FAO’s Policy to Support Sustainable Peace, launched in 2017 under the 2030 Agenda. Food security is not only a goal in itself but also a precondition for peaceful and inclusive societies.

What we see in Gaza is the denial of this principle. Blocking food from reaching those who are starving violates the most basic tenets of human solidarity. This is not just a humanitarian crisis—it is a crime that must be denounced at every international forum. The world cannot accept the normalization of hunger as a weapon of war.

Gaza reminds us, painfully, that hunger is always a political choice. And that silence in the face of hunger is also a political choice.

José Graziano da Silva is a former Director-General of the FAO and the founder and current Director-General of the Instituto Fome Zero