Gaza crisis worsens as famine spreads, peace talks stall

CAIRO - Nearly two years into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Gaza is unraveling under the weight of starvation and siege. Aid remains scarce, the death toll keeps rising, and famine is no longer a warning but a reality.

Despite urgent calls for immediate intervention, ceasefire talks have ground to a halt, as deep divisions persist among Hamas, Israel and international intermediaries.

More Western nations are edging toward recognizing the Palestinian state in the hope of pushing for an end to the humanitarian catastrophe. However, Washington, while acknowledging Gaza's dire hunger, remains firmly behind Israel and clings to a controversial aid system.

As Gaza spirals deeper into catastrophe and US policy remains unchanged, one question lingers: What future lies beyond war and hunger?

FAMINE DEEPENS

Gaza had been teetering on the brink of famine for two years, but recent developments have "dramatically worsened" the situation, including "increasingly stringent blockades" by Israel, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global standardized tool for assessing food insecurity severity, said in July.

The "worst-case scenario of famine" is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip -- home to 2.3 million residents, the international body on food crises said, predicting "widespread deaths" without immediate action.

Children bear the brunt of the crisis, with malnutrition on a dangerous trajectory. Of 74 malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 occurred in July -- including 24 children under five -- as reported by the World Health Organization. Altogether 180 people, including 93 children, have died due to starvation and malnutrition since October 2023, the Gaza health authorities said Monday.

"The trickle of aid must become an ocean," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded. "Food, water, medicine, and fuel must flow in waves and without obstruction."

Despite the call, efforts to provide humanitarian relief remain grossly inadequate. While Israel has permitted limited airdrops and some aid convoys, the assistance that has entered Gaza remains insufficient, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Convoys continue to face obstacles and danger along the routes mapped out by the Israeli authorities.

Meanwhile, large numbers of people reportedly continue to be killed and injured while searching for food. The UN's human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday that 1,373 aid seekers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since late May, most of them by the Israeli military.

TALKS STALLED

As Gaza descends deeper into humanitarian collapse, the prospects for a ceasefire remain dim.

In a Thursday statement, Hamas reiterated its willingness to resume negotiations for a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal -- but only if the humanitarian crisis in Gaza sees significant improvement.

"It is essential to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation significantly and to obtain a written response from the enemy regarding our response," Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told CNN. "This is a condition to go back to negotiations."

The group has also rejected any suggestion of demilitarization, stating that only a full restoration of Palestinian national rights could lead to compromise.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he will direct the Israeli army later this week on achieving three war objectives "without exception" in Gaza: "defeating the enemy, releasing our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza will never again threaten Israel."

During a recent regional visit, U.S. Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff also emphasized the need for a shift in negotiations -- from phased agreements to a comprehensive deal that would see all hostages released at once.

Speaking with families of the hostages on Saturday, he also said that Hamas is "prepared to be demilitarized," according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

US STANDS BEHIND ISRAEL

As images of emaciated children in Gaza circulate globally, more Western nations are now moving to formally recognize a Palestinian state, among which are France, Britain, Canada, Portugal, Malta, as well as several other countries.

Despite the mounting international momentum, US President Donald Trump remained defiant. The president, admitting the food insecurity in Gaza, has sent his Mideast envoy to Israel for the first time in months amid mounting international concern about the aid distribution mechanism.

However, Witkoff's tour of a controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site sparked criticism over Washington's continued endorsement of flawed relief models. Analysts argued that far from being an impartial broker, the United States has functioned more as an enabler of Israel's military ambitions, prioritizing politics over peace.

"The United States is increasingly seen as out of step with the international community, particularly when it comes to its unconditional support for Israel," Ayman Yousef, professor of political science at the Arab American University in Ramallah, told Xinhua.

"While the US remains a dominant global power, its position on Palestine is undermining its legitimacy and credibility," Yousef added.

Voicing similar concerns, Ghassan Khatib, professor of international relations at Birzeit University in Ramallah, said despite unprecedented global criticism, the United States "continues to shield Israel diplomatically and militarily."

"If international pressure and public outcry continue to grow, especially within Western societies, the United States may eventually find its current stance unsustainable," he said.

Will Todman, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the United States' ongoing support for the Israeli government "has cushioned Israel from international pressure."

With such support, the Israeli government "is unlikely to shift its strategic priorities in Gaza," he said.

"US credibility is badly frayed, and operationally the United States is in a self-imposed, much-reduced position to be able to do good for Gazans," J. Stephen Morrison and Leonard Rubenstein from the Global Health Policy Center of the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in an article.