Forced Hunger Is a Weapon of Imperial Warfare. End the Starvation. End the Occupation.

Written By Vinh Hua

We unequivocally condemn the deliberate starvation of Palestinians in Gaza—enforced by Israel and funded by the United States.

What is happening in Gaza today is not simply a humanitarian crisis, as politicians and media have framed it. A humanitarian crisis refers to natural disasters like earthquakes or floods. What is happening in Gaza is the outcome of deliberate policies spanning nearly 80 years and intensified since October 2023: mass displacement, a total blockade, bombing, and the blocking of humanitarian aid—all carried out by Israel and supported by billions of dollars in U.S. aid and weapons. From October 2023 to October 2024, the U.S. sent about $18 billion in military aid to Israel, the highest annual total on record. 

This policy of siege and starvation has pushed over 2 million Palestinians to the edge of famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) platform has declared that the crisis in Gaza is reaching the final criteria of the famine threshold. The World Health Organization warns of surging malnutrition and a collapsing health system. As of July 2025:

  • Over half a million people are experiencing catastrophic hunger, with one in three going without food for days at a time.

  • Since March 2, no commercial or humanitarian goods have been allowed into Gaza.

  • In July alone, at least 122 people died of starvation, including 83 children.

  • Aid centers and convoy routes have become killing zones. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid, and many more are injured.

We recognize starvation as a weapon of imperial warfare.

During Operation Ranch Hand in Vietnam, the U.S. military sprayed Agent Blue—a toxic herbicide—to destroy rice fields and mangroves across the Mekong Delta with the goal of starving the resistance into submission. Millions went hungry and were forced to flee.

That same tactic is now being used in Gaza.

Just as Agent Blue poisoned the Mekong’s soil and water—causing environmental and health damage that persists to this day—Gaza is being rendered unlivable. Doctors are feeding newborn babies water instead of formula while more than 6,000 trucks full of food, medicine, fuel, and infant supplies are blocked.

In both Vietnam and Gaza, the U.S. war machine profits from mass death. Lockheed, Raytheon, and Boeing reap billions when farmlands are turned to dust and civilians die of starvation. In 2023, U.S. arms firms saw a 2.5% increase in revenue due to demands from Israel, pushing total earnings to around $317 billion.

This is genocide as a business model. //maybe another sentence here about capitalism and imperialism

Every day we see images of emaciated children, of malnourished mothers unable to feed their babies, and of Palestinians in body bags. We refuse to watch in silence.

We demand:

  • An end to the siege on Gaza

  • An immediate opening of all borders for unrestricted aid to Gaza

  • A full ceasefire and the demilitarization of aid routes

  • An immediate end to all U.S. military aid to Israel

  • International accountability for the use of hunger as a weapon

Letting aid in is urgently necessary. But aid alone is not the solution. It cannot fix the fundamental structural cause of the suffering. We must address the root cause: Israel’s occupation backed by the U.S.

We also recognize this as a bipartisan crime enabled by both major parties in the U.S. For example, in December 2024, the Biden administration pressured the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) to suppress a report confirming famine conditions in Gaza. 

Recently, CNN aired a panel debating the famine in Gaza. This is an example of the grotesque absurdity of liberal both-sidesism and the spectacle of debate culture that obscures the power imbalance between Israel and the Palestinian people, ignoring the reality of an almost 80-year occupation.

We reject the false choice between bombing children on an empty stomach or bombing them after giving them a few calories. They should not be bombed at all. They should be free.

Let Gaza live. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

To our fellow diaspora communities: Back in February 2024, we wrote that the time had come to divest from the myths of the American dream and gain political courage and clarity. That remains true now. Here’s what you can do:

  • Contact your elected officials and representatives: Demand the immediate entry of aid. Airdrops alone cannot reach many communities and pose serious dangers.

  • Share and amplify firsthand reports from Gaza, and condemn the deliberate killings of journalists: Journalists are documenting their own starvation, and Israel is banning international press from entering Gaza. Worse yet, Israel has killed nearly 270 journalists and media workers since October 2023. It most recently bombed a tent housing journalists outside a hospital in Gaza City.

  • Join local organizing efforts: Connect the liberation of Palestine to the work you're already doing—whether your focus is on housing, immigration, climate justice, food sovereignty, or mutual aid. The struggles are connected, so our solidarity must be too.

  • Organize: Flooding inboxes of elected officials sends a strong message, and protesting builds momentum and confidence. But real change requires a structured, strategic process of building coalitions and institutions to develop leaders, deepen strategy, and create more lasting collective power.

We invite you to share this statement, join our supporter network, and take part in our study and action events. Let us stay steadfast in fostering the discipline to organize and build with each other.

Sources

Vinh Hua
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