At the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, 14 of the 15 member states declared that the famine unfolding in Gaza is man-made, placing direct responsibility on Israel for blocking aid and deepening the humanitarian crisis. The United States stood alone in refusing to endorse the statement.
In their joint declaration, council members demanded an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the release of hostages held in Gaza, a large-scale increase in humanitarian assistance, and the lifting of all Israeli restrictions on aid delivery.
Briefing the chamber, UN officials and aid workers described the situation as catastrophic. Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said Gaza is witnessing “rapidly mounting civilian casualties, mass displacement, and now famine.” He added that conditions in the West Bank are also worsening, with settlement expansion, home demolitions, and escalating violence.
Since 23 July, at least 2,553 Palestinians have been killed, including 271 while attempting to collect aid. Journalists have been heavily targeted as well, with 240 reported dead, six of them in a 10 August strike. A separate Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital on 25 August killed 20 civilians, prompting renewed calls from the UN Secretary-General for an independent investigation.
Inger Ashing, head of Save the Children International, told the council that “children in Gaza are systematically being starved to death,” calling Israel’s policy “deliberate” and “man-made.” She described clinics filled with emaciated children too weak to cry, while thousands of aid trucks remain stalled at border crossings. She recounted a child’s note: “I wish I was in heaven where my mother is. In heaven there is love, there is food and water.”
The United States pushed back against those accusations. Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea questioned the credibility of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, which formally confirmed famine conditions in Gaza, saying it “doesn’t pass the test.” While acknowledging the severity of hunger, Shea insisted that Washington prioritises meeting humanitarian needs but cast doubt on the UN-backed assessment.
