7/22/2025–|Last update: 14:46 (Mecca time)
Dr. Mass Glabert, the Norwegian medical team official in the Gaza Strip, warned that half a million Palestinians in the Strip face the danger of catastrophic famine, stressing that what is going on is a systematic starvation that constitutes part of a studied annihilation campaign carried out by Israel with direct American support.
In an intervention with Al -Jazeera, Glabert said that the situation in the Gaza Strip reached an unprecedented stage of deterioration, as hospitals are witnessing a complete collapse, in the absence of food, water and medicine for 142 days in a row, amid a full siege imposed on the population without exception.
He pointed out that the Palestinian Ministry of Health recently announced the death of 23 Palestinians as a result of hunger in just 48 hours, while this number is expected to rise tragicly and accelerated during the coming days, especially since half a million people live in the stage of catastrophic hunger, according to the classification of the United Nations.
He stressed that what is happening is not the result of natural disasters but by an active act, saying: “This is a human starization, which is part of an Israeli annihilation campaign.”
He stressed that securing hospitals and providing specialized nutritional teams has become an urgent necessity, warning that chronic hunger may lead to the lives of patients even if they receive food, due to what is known as the nutrition syndrome, a medical condition that threatens the lives of those who suffer from severe malnutrition when resuming eating.
The international community fails
Despite this horrific reality, Glabert expressed his dissatisfaction with the position of the international community, which has not yet announced that Gaza lives in a state of famine, wondering about the reason for the delay in recognition despite the availability of all indicators, information and international field and intelligence reports.
He added that the United Nations confirmed in a recent report from “Ocha” that about 470,000 Palestinians have reached the classification phase, which is the highest level of food insecurity and is officially defined as “catastrophic hunger”, noting that the whole world knows the numbers and facts, but it does not move.
He held European countries responsible for inaction, noting that the solution is simple and well -known: an immediate ceasefire, and opened the sector to food and medicine under the supervision of the United Nations, and not through channels controlled by Israel that use food as a weapon against civilians.
In an angry tone, he called for the imposition of immediate economic sanctions on Israel, withdrawing investments and stopping all forms of cooperation with them, stressing that these measures are the only way to stop the policy of starvation, because Israel – according to his description – does not care about words but only understands the language of pressure and boycott.
He pointed out that the absence of accountability and punishment encourages Israel to continue its policies without deterrence, warning that the continuation of this international silence is a black stigma in the history of Western countries, which described its position as “collusion in the Holocaust of the modern era”, and comparing what is going on with a “detention camp in which the population is deliberately starved.”
Data is not enough
On the recent statement by the meeting of 26 countries led by Britain, Glabert said that although it appears a symbolic step, it “came very late and with a much lower effort than what is required”, adding that the time no longer can accommodate data and condemnation, but rather needs tangible and serious move.
He stressed that stopping arms shipments, imposing an economic blockade on Israel and cutting trade relations are the only measures to stop the war machine and starvation, calling for a comprehensive boycott led by Europe and the United States holds part of responsibility for this humanitarian catastrophe.
He was surprised by the Western silence towards the American role, asking about the reason for the hesitation of European capitals in criticizing Washington despite their knowledge that the American political and military support for Israel is what allows the continuation of the policy of the siege and starvation without accountability.
The Norwegian doctor emphasized that what is happening in Gaza today is not just a passing humanitarian crisis, but rather a global moral catastrophe, which will remain for decades a stigma on the forehead of those who commit to silence or are satisfied with condemnation without a real action.
Since last March, Israel has almost completely closed all crossings, which exacerbated the food and humanitarian crisis. The last week witnessed horrific scenes, as a number of Palestinians collapsed in the streets due to hunger, amid the inability of local and international institutions to confront the catastrophe.
Despite repeated international claims and the appeals of the International Court of Justice to stop the war, Israel continues – with announced American support – its operations in the Strip. The war resulted in the death and injury of about 200,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in addition to more than 11,000 missing, hundreds of thousands of displaced people, and the famine that kills civilians in silence.