The enduring consequences of mass starvation in Gaza


Nada AlTaher
  • English
  • Arabic

Hunger has killed more than 110 people so far in Gaza over the past 20 months of war.

And in the past week, the number of deaths has accelerated, causing alarm about a looming full-scale famine in the enclave. More than 100 NGOs have warned of mass starvation and a coalition of mostly European states issued strong words condemning Israel's aid policy.

Israel insists there is no famine in Gaza and blames Hamas for food shortages. Yet haunting images and videos show emaciated children crying for food as their parents stare at them helplessly. Journalists who have covered the war since the start say they are too exhausted to work any more and that people are collapsing on the streets.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to experts about the irreversible impact of famine spreading in Gaza and how aid is being exploited for political gain. We hear from Michael Fakhri, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, and Alex DeWaal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Updated: July 25, 2025, 5:56 AM`
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