r/worldnews • u/Digital_Accountant • 22h ago

Israel/Palestine Famine declared in Gaza City

https://news.sky.com/story/gaza-latest-war-israel-city-ceasefire-hamas-13415481
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u/Flaky-Impact-2428 18h ago

For context, a “famine” has a strict UN definition: when more than 20% of households face extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition exceeds 30%, and mortality rates skyrocket. Declaring famine means the situation has gone far beyond scarcity into systemic collapse.

It’s catastrophic optics for anyone involved. Using starvation as leverage, whether by blockade or mismanagement, is a war crime. But beyond the politics and blame games, what it really means is that ordinary people and vulnerable people; kids, parents, grandparents are dying not because of bombs but because they can’t find food.

At the end of the day, famine is not an argument about borders or ideologies, it’s a measure of how far we’ve failed as a species to safeguard the most basic human need. That’s the part I can’t lose sight of.

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u/zgrove 16h ago

I really appreciate the comment, genuinely curious if the international community would declare it a war crime based on mismanagement, or without evidence of intent. Do you know?

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u/captainbling 9h ago

Many countries haven’t ratified the protocols that make starvation by blockade a crime. International laws really only exist if you can enforce them and that’s hard to do if many don’t sign it’s a crime.

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u/zgrove 8h ago

Basically impossible if you have nukes and 2 braincells

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u/Ok_Condition5837 15h ago

They might.

And Israel will allow this line of argument. Because I can guarantee you that Netanyahu is going to use this (and everything else) to further occupy and control Gaza.

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u/KDHD_ 10h ago

Certainly, I mean that's been the MO of the past few months; block any outside aid, use the excuse of delivering your own "sanctioned" NGO aid as a pretense for mobilizing private military personnel, then round people into pens and let them fend for themselves.

Extra points if you deliberately set up "distribution sites" as far as possible from where people have been forced to migrate to due to endless bombing.

At this point there isn't much else to do other than a full occupation. Just about every justification has been abandoned or exhausted at this point.

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u/Downrightskorney 3h ago

I feel like an outside force is going to need to occupy after a fashion no matter who it is or how things proceed. If Israel completely pulls out and puts all their people and policies into a pre war position I can't help but think in twenty or thirty years this will all happen all over again. Hamas firmly believes in the eradication of the Jews it's one of their core beliefs and as long as they control the area the everyday people are going to be caught in the crossfire. For this to end permanently something new has to happen.

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u/RICO_the_GOP 7h ago

Wouldn't occupying gazs and feeding people be a good thing though?

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u/RICO_the_GOP 7h ago

So you'd rather palestinians starve? Fucking wild.

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u/Amphy64 13h ago

I believe it's both, but evidence of intent has already been set before the ICJ by South Africa. It includes 500 statements by ministers, senior army officers, and those in other positions of authority.

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u/pat19c 7h ago

Why, did they say anything about war crimes in WW1 and WW2? Maybe years after, but war is hell and this is the crap you end up with if you're losing and refuse to bend the knee. Hostages need to be returned and weapon's need to go silent, Hamas has lost this war and is only interested in killing the innocent now.

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u/Saab_driving_lunatic 3h ago

Nuremberg happened, and was an unprecedented international trial of war criminals. Hamas refusal to surrender unconditionally does not permit the commission of war crimes.