RAMALLAH, May 7, 2025 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa declared the Gaza Strip a famine zone on Wednesday.

During a press conference on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, attended by the government's emergency operations room, Mustafa called on the entire UN system to immediately activate its mechanisms and treat Gaza as a famine zone.

He called on the international community to implement UN resolutions prohibiting the use of starvation as a weapon of war. He also called on all UN member states to take urgent action in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law and to recognize the catastrophe and famine.

Mustafa affirmed that the government will continue to work to confront the aggression and famine against our people, and will work diligently with the international community to save lives, leading to recovery and reconstruction.

Documented reports issued by international and UN institutions, field indicators, manifestations of hunger and thirst, daily scenes of emaciated children's bodies, and the cries of pain emanating from the tents of the displaced and from the rubble of homes and hospitals, all point to one stark reality: Gaza is now a famine zone.

In light of Israel's persistence, the illegal occupying power, its continued and tightened blockade of the Gaza Strip, its deliberate obstruction of the entry of aid, the complete collapse of all supply chains, the near-total power outage, the severe shortage of water, the collapse of the medical services system, and the occupation's continued systematic and widespread violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law.

Based on the internationally recognized criteria of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which defines famine as occurring when a large number of people suffer from acute hunger, severe acute malnutrition, and high mortality rates due to hunger, 100% of the population of the Gaza Strip is now suffering from acute food insecurity.

Accordingly, we hold Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for this deliberate humanitarian catastrophe, and we call on the international community to:

First: Implement UN resolutions prohibiting the use of starvation as a weapon of war against civilians. This requires the immediate intervention of the UN Security Council and Secretary-General, and the implementation of Article (99) of the UN Charter, including under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Second: We call on all UN member states to take urgent action in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law, recognize the catastrophe and famine, and work to provide political and logistical support to end the blockade, ensure the delivery of aid, and activate international accountability mechanisms.

Third: We call on the entire UN system, particularly the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and all partners in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) network, to immediately activate their mechanisms and treat Gaza as a famine zone, which entails urgent international intervention and the immediate lifting of all restrictions preventing relief.

Fourth: We demand the protection of the legal mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), support for its programs, and the empowerment of the Agency to carry out its mandate. In this regard, we commend the position of the UN Secretary-General, the European Union institutions, and various UN and international organizations that reject any proposed mechanisms to control aid distribution. We thank the Arab and international stance against displacement.

As we declare today that the Gaza Strip is a famine zone, we will continue to do everything in our power to confront this aggression and famine against our people, and to work tirelessly with the international community to save lives, leading to recovery and reconstruction.

Y.S