Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand
Famine does not always begin with a failed harvest or a natural disaster. It can begin with decisions: decisions to restrict food, obstruct humanitarian assistance, destroy essential infrastructure and deny a population access to the necessities of life.
The situation in Gaza demands that the international community confront an urgent question: when the means of survival are systematically undermined, can hunger still be treated as an unavoidable consequence of war?
The deliberate use of starvation against civilians is prohibited under international humanitarian law. Food, water, medicine and humanitarian assistance must never be used as instruments of collective punishment, coercion or political leverage.
The destruction of agricultural land, food production facilities, water systems, bakeries and other essential infrastructure, combined with restrictions on humanitarian access, can devastate a population’s ability to sustain itself. Where such deprivation is deliberately imposed or knowingly maintained in violation of international law, responsibility and accountability must follow.
For Palestinians in Gaza, this is not an abstract debate. It is a daily struggle for food, clean water, medical care and survival.
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand calls on the New Zealand Government to:
- Demand sustained humanitarian access and the delivery of sufficient food, water, medicine and other essential supplies into Gaza.
- Press for an end to policies and actions that unlawfully deprive civilians of the necessities of life.
- Support independent investigations and accountability for violations of international humanitarian law.
- Pursue meaningful diplomatic and economic measures, consistent with international law, to prevent further atrocities.
- Work with international partners to ensure civilian protection and a just and lasting peace grounded in Palestinian self-determination.
Humanitarian concern without effective action is not enough. Governments must use the diplomatic, legal and economic tools available to them to protect civilian life and uphold international law.
Famine must never become a weapon. Palestinian survival must never be a bargaining chip.
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand stands for justice, human rights, accountability and the right of the Palestinian people to live in freedom, dignity and security.
We remember, we resist, we remain.