Key points
- UN, rights groups accuse Israel of deliberate starvation
- Nearly 900 Palestinians killed near GHF aid sites
- Children suffer malnutrition, aid blocked, UNRWA barred
- Videos show chaos, desperation at Gaza food centres
ISLAMABAD: The hashtag #GazaIsStarving is currently trending across social media as Palestinians endure an escalating hunger crisis, fuelled by Israel’s continued bombardment of the enclave and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid.
As of Sunday, the Arabic version of the hashtag had featured in over 227,000 posts on X (formerly Twitter), where it recently topped the platform’s trending list.
On Instagram, it has been used in more than 5,000 posts, according to Al Jazeera. Much of the online momentum is linked to a widely shared post from 31 October 2023, quoting Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah’s warning: “People have started going hungry.”
Almost two years later, that statement has evolved into a global slogan, as Israeli military action continues to claim the lives of dozens of starving Palestinians each day.
UN warnings
The surge in the hashtag’s use coincides with warnings from the United Nations and various humanitarian organisations, who accuse Israel of deliberately starving Palestinian civilians—including over a million children—by obstructing the entry of food and medical supplies into Gaza.
Since May, close to 900 Palestinians have been killed near aid distribution sites managed by GHF, an aid agency with strong backing from Israel and the United States.
Under the banner of #GazaIsStarving, social media platforms have been inundated with images and videos highlighting the worsening humanitarian catastrophe, which multiple countries and human rights organisations have labelled as genocide.
Malnourished children
One widely circulated X post depicts Palestinian children visibly malnourished during medical assessments at a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) clinic in Gaza City. Israel has barred UNRWA from distributing aid within the enclave.
#صور | أطفال يعانون من سوء التغذية خلال فحصهم في أحد النقاط الطبية التابعة للأونروا بمدينة غزة#غزه_تموت_جوعاً#GazaIsStarving#FamineInGaza#غزة_تقتل_جوعاً#StarvingGaza#FreePalestine#OpenRafahNow#GazaStarvingToDeath pic.twitter.com/VN4GitxrH2
— حسين الفضلي (@Huseinalfdl) July 19, 2025
Another harrowing scene, recorded in northern Gaza, reveals the dire state of food scarcity: children are seen fighting over food rations and scraping the bottoms of cooking pots in desperation.
View this post on Instagram
A further video, filmed on 19 July near a GHF aid centre in Rafah, captures civilians fleeing in panic as Israeli tanks and bulldozers approach the area.
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Verified photographs taken on the same day show two-year-old Yazan Abu Foul suffering from acute malnutrition in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, amid continuing restrictions on the delivery of essential supplies and humanitarian assistance.
View this post on Instagram
