Manufactured Starvation: Gaza Under Siege
A devastating famine is unfolding in the Gaza Strip—one not born of nature, but of deliberate, calculated policy. In recent weeks, harrowing images have emerged from the besieged enclave: skeletal children clinging to life, families scavenging for scraps, entire communities on the brink of collapse. More than half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and over one million of them face imminent starvation. At least 180 people, including more than 90 children, have already perished due to malnutrition; dozens more die each day.
This famine is not the product of failed logistics or unavoidable tragedy. Outside Gaza’s sealed borders, hundreds of trucks laden with food, medicine, and essential supplies have stood immobilized for months. Aid sufficient to sustain Gaza’s population for several months remains locked at border crossings, obstructed by Israel’s blockade and Western complicity.
The handful of aid deliveries that are permitted are entirely inadequate. Since the creation of the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation”—a body designed more for optics than relief—the number of aid sites has plummeted to 1 percent of what the United Nations previously operated. Even worse, these aid points have become the sites of massacres: over 1,400 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access food, gunned down by Israeli soldiers or foreign security forces. This is not relief—it is organized starvation, weaponized for military and political ends.
Western Cynicism and Hypocrisy
Faced with growing outrage over the famine, Western leaders have scrambled to dissociate themselves from the horror they have enabled. French President Emmanuel Macron, German opposition figure Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and even former U.S. President Donald Trump have issued statements of concern, suddenly acknowledging the crisis. But their words ring hollow.
Having fully supported Israel’s military onslaught—including arms shipments, diplomatic backing, and intelligence sharing—these governments now offer token gestures. Airdropping small quantities of food into conflict zones where Israel has openly declared that it will fire on Palestinians amounts to performative cruelty. Rather than halting the aggression, they drop morsels of aid into the chaos they helped create.
In a particularly cynical move, France, the UK, and Canada have begun floating the idea of recognizing Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September. But even their own language reveals the insincerity: recognition would be “conditional,” dependent on whether Israel makes steps toward ending the siege, allowing aid deliveries, and agreeing to a ceasefire.
This “recognition” is not rooted in principle or a genuine belief in Palestinian sovereignty—it is a diplomatic tool, a bargaining chip, a public relations maneuver to deflect from their complicity. For three decades, since the Oslo Accords, Western powers have spoken of a “two-state solution” while turning a blind eye to Israel’s ongoing occupation, settlement expansion, and ethnic cleansing. Today, Palestine is further from independence than ever—and the West holds the blame.
Genocide in Real Time
The Israeli state has abandoned any pretense of supporting a future Palestinian state. Just days ago, the Knesset approved a measure advocating for the complete annexation of the occupied West Bank. This is not a deviation from past policy—it is its logical endpoint. For nearly two years, Israel has waged an all-out war on Gaza, culminating in today’s famine.
The Israeli state has abandoned any pretense of supporting a future Palestinian state. Just days ago, the Knesset approved a measure advocating for the complete annexation of the occupied West Bank. This is not a deviation from past policy—it is its logical endpoint. For nearly two years, Israel has waged an all-out war on Gaza, culminating in today’s famine.
This strategy was not hidden. From the earliest days of the war, Israeli leaders were explicit. Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the people of Gaza as “human animals,” signaling a genocidal intent that was not met with condemnation but with encouragement from the West. Intelligence chief advisers, such as Major General Giora Eiland, openly stated that starvation and epidemics in Gaza would be welcomed outcomes, bringing “victory” closer.
The Western response was not one of alarm but of support. The bombs continued to fall, weapons continued to flow, and diplomatic shields were raised at every international forum. Today, as images of emaciated children spark global outrage, Western leaders feign surprise at the inevitable result of the policies they enabled.
Starmer’s Performative Horror
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently condemned the situation in Gaza as “unspeakable and indefensible.” Yet his government has not only permitted but facilitated the ongoing siege. The UK has conducted hundreds of reconnaissance flights over Gaza, shared intelligence with the IDF, and authorized arms sales at record levels. In three months, Starmer’s Labour government approved more weaponry for Israel than the Conservative government had in four years.
At home, repression of Palestinian solidarity has intensified. The direct action group Palestine Action was labeled a terrorist organization, making its support a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In every practical sense, the UK is a full partner in Israel’s war.
Imperialist Interests Over Human Rights
Western governments continue to support Israel, not despite the genocide, but because Israel serves their strategic interests. The Zionist state functions as an imperial outpost in the Middle East—a bulwark against regional independence movements and a tool for projecting Western influence.
For decades, U.S. and European powers have poured billions into Israel’s military, provided diplomatic cover, and protected it from international accountability. This support is not accidental or misguided—it is systemic and intentional.
This genocide could not have occurred without their backing. The political and military architecture that makes such atrocities possible is funded, armed, and justified by Washington, London, Paris, and Berlin.
Resistance, Repression, and Revolt
The political cost of this complicity is growing. Across the Middle East and the world, mass anger is boiling over. In Egypt, the Sisi regime has cracked down on any dissent. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar was pressured to retract a statement condemning Israel’s starvation tactics. Yet repression cannot fully contain public fury.
Recently, protests erupted in Cairo after a young man died in police custody. Demonstrators clashed with police, reviving the slogans of Egypt’s 2011 revolution: “The people want the downfall of the regime.” In a separate incident, two activists stormed Egypt’s State Security headquarters, demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing and denouncing the regime’s complicity in Gaza’s suffering. The video of the act went viral before being censored. The men have since disappeared.
Globally, protests outside Egyptian embassies—including in Iraq—have erupted. The pressure on Western-backed regimes is mounting.
Cracks in the Imperialist Bloc
Even Donald Trump, usually unwavering in his support for Israel, is shifting his rhetoric. At a recent press conference, he acknowledged the reality of starvation in Gaza—only to later claim that pushing Israel toward peace would reward “terrorism.” This dual messaging reflects the growing tensions within Western ruling circles, as they struggle to manage both their geopolitical strategy and a restless, increasingly radicalized public.
In Britain, Jeremy Corbyn’s new party—founded on a platform of ending arms sales to Israel—has already overtaken Labour in membership within a week of its launch. In the U.S., a recent Gallup poll found that public approval of Israel’s actions has fallen to its lowest level since the start of the war.
The imperialist powers are being dragged into crisis—not by moral awakening, but by the resistance of ordinary people who refuse to accept the mass murder of Palestinians as business as usual.
No Justice Without Confronting the System
The famine in Gaza is not an accident, a tragedy, or a blunder. It is the logical product of a system that prizes imperial dominance over human life. Western governments do not act out of ignorance—they act with full knowledge and intent. Their sudden hand-wringing and token gestures are attempts to placate a growing movement that is demanding real accountability.
But history will not forget. Gaza’s devastation is being broadcast in real time, and millions are drawing conclusions. For the genocide to end, for Palestinian liberation to be realized, the system that made this possible—imperialism—must be confronted and overthrown.
