Donald Trump can stop the famine in Gaza. Instead, he follows Biden’s leadership | Mohamad Bazzi

one Global hunger– Monitoring Group Announced last week That GazaThe largest city and its surrounding areas suffered a “completely artificial” famine, mainly due to IsraelDeliberate hunger strategy, continue to siege the territory. This news won’t surprise anyone who has attracted little attention Images and videos Thin kids and desperate parents coming out of Canada for months.

But the first Confirm the famine The Integrated Food Security Stage Classification (IPC), including the World Food Program, the World Health Organization and other aid agencies, is an important institutional marker. Years from now on, it will remind Israel how to use hunger as Weapons of war Western powers did nothing. This will be a source of shame for all who will inevitably claim that they are not aware of the extent of Israel’s genocide war on Gaza. Death due to transportation Reality of the world.

Donald Trump This famine can be stopped – the United States is Israel’s largest arms supplier and most important political supporter. But he chose not to do so. Instead, Trump supports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuexist His latest plan Sow more deaths and destruction by invading the city of Gaza and replacing one million Palestinians. Last month, the U.S. President said Kids in Gaza “Looks very hungry”, adding that the painful scenes show “real hunger”. Trump contradicts the false claims of the Israeli administration that warnings about the imminent famine are fake news.

However, the Trump administration remains silent after IPC releases its latest IPC Report last weekconfirm that the city of Gaza and its surroundings are in a mature famine. To declare a famine, the IPC requires that an area must be crossed Three key thresholds: At least 20% of families face extreme food shortages; at least 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition; at least two adults or four of 10,000 children die daily due to hunger or illness and malnutrition. Since the IPC was founded in 2004 to warn of global food shortages, it has confirmed only three previous famines: in Somalia in 2011, in South Sudan in 2017 and in Sudan last year.

By the time of declaration of famine, it is usually too late to stop the exponential increase in death due to hunger and malnutrition. When drought-driven famine hit Somalia between 2010 and 2012, about half of 250,000 people were killed Already dead By the time the IPC found that the country had crossed the famine threshold.

In the past famine, the IPC’s declaration has helped to attract global attention and prompt international donors to first aid to affected areas. But the world’s attention has been focused on Gaza, the United Nations and other aid groups say They have enough food Near the border near Gaza, the entire population for nearly three months was fed 2.1 million. Israel simply refuses to bring much of its aid into besieged territory – a intentional hunger campaign supported by the Trump administration.

As Tom Fletcher, head of humanitarian aid in the United Nations, Put it last week: “Because of Israel’s systematic blockage, food accumulates at the border.” He added that the Gaza famine “is caused by cruelty, revenge, indifference, and maintained by co-conspiracy”. Fletcher then called on world leaders to put pressure on Netanyahu to siege.

Ultimately, the request was intended for Trump, the only leader who could force Netanyahu to end Gaza’s misery. But the Israeli Prime Minister and his administration continue to resist global anger, mainly because they have unwavering support from Trump.

Since early 2024, UN and international relief groups have been raising alarms about the potential for widespread hunger in Gaza Israeli military blockade This began within a few days of Hamas’ attacks on Israel in October 2023. As I wrote recentlyJoe Biden ignores these warnings, while his administration tries to undermine criticism of Israel’s unconditional weapons. Throughout 2024, when parts of Gaza reach the brink of hunger, Israel will ease its siege, allowing some food and supplies to reach desperate Palestinians and avoid putting their bloodlines into global famine.

But Netanyahu abandoned the strategy in early March when he implemented a new siege on Gaza Trump’s tacit approvaldeprive Palestinians of food, medicine and other basic needs. Netanyahu fears he will soon collapse if his extreme government coalition agrees to a permanent truce with Hamas Resuming the Israeli warbreaking the ceasefire lasted for two months. Since then, Israel has carried out more severe siege and hunger campaigns on Gaza.

On August 18, Hamas announced Accepted a ceasefire The deal is actually the same as the ones proposed by Israel and the United States a few weeks ago. But just like he Nearly two yearsNetanyahu shuffled and made new demands to stop negotiations and any potential deals for torpedoes. Ultimately, Netanyahu hopes to extend the war and continue to rule.

Netanyahu’s promise, his latest plan to conquer the city of Gaza and other areas of territory that has not yet been occupied by the Israeli military, appears to be attracted by Trump. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday Trump says The Gaza war will reach its “conclusion” in the next two or three weeks.

Netanyahu has always had hope – and failed to deliver – for more than a year, a “complete victory” against Hamas. He said confidently: “It will not take several years to win over Hamas.” In a speech February 2024. “It will take several months.” Since then, Netanyahu has expressed his lofty ambitions to reshape the entire Middle East, but he has continued to defy international and domestic pressures to designate Israel’s post-war Gaza plan, or how the war ends his goal of “full victory”. That was a deliberate strategy: From the outset, Netanyahu’s allies wanted a protracted war to occupy Gaza and Ethnic Cleansing Its Palestinian inhabitants.

Last week, a competitive government official confirmed interview Netanyahu aired on Israeli TV shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attack, which is preparing for a grinding guerrilla war in Gaza that could last “decades.” Former State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who often defended the administration’s unconditional support for Israel, also said Netanyahu had repeatedly undermined the ceasefire negotiations for U.S. agents. (Israel TV’s report finds that Prime Minister Nix’s deal may be near dominance Seven times.

Over 15 months, Biden provided Israeli Prime Minister with political cover and billions of dollars in American weapons, becoming an accomplice of Israel’s use of hunger as a weapon and other war crimes. Today, Trump is repeating the same ineffective and immoral strategy, while Netanyahu’s empty promise of victory attracts, while famine spreads Gaza.

• Mohamad Bazzi is director of Kevorkian’s Center for Near East Studies and a professor of journalism at New York University