Caritas Internationalis has condemned what it called a “man-made famine” in Gaza, urging an immediate ceasefire as UN agencies reported fresh civilian deaths, attacks on hospitals, and worsening hunger.
The Catholic humanitarian network said the situation was not accidental but the result of “calculated choices.”
Its statement followed the UN’s declaration of famine in Gaza on August 22, two days after Israeli forces stormed Gaza City, where nearly a million displaced civilians had sought refuge.
Caritas said 273 people had already died of starvation, including 112 children,” adding that the situation is “not a tragic accident” but a “result of calculated choices.”
“A population stripped of shelter, sustenance, and safety has been left to perish in full view of the world,” it added.
The organization said the situation in Gaza should not be seen as war but as the systematic destruction of civilian life, describing the siege as a “machinery of annihilation” enabled by “impunity and the silence or complicity of powerful nations.”
Healthcare under attack
UN agencies reported that at least 20 people, including four health workers and five journalists, were killed when strikes hit Gaza’s Nasser Hospital last week.
“While people in Gaza are being starved, their already limited access to healthcare is being further crippled by repeated attacks,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).
“We cannot say it loudly enough: STOP attacks on healthcare. Ceasefire now,” he added.
The WHO said 50 others were injured, including critically ill patients. Hospital facilities, including the emergency ward and surgical unit, were damaged.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the incident and called for a prompt investigation.
“These latest horrific killings highlight the extreme risks that medical personnel and journalists face as they carry out their vital work amid this brutal conflict,” his spokesman said.
Among those killed was journalist Mariam Abu Dagga, who had worked with the UN on a photo essay documenting Gaza’s hardships.
“Silencing the last remaining voices reporting about children dying silently and famine with the world’s indifference and inaction is shocking,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Famine and displacement
Caritas said civilians, mostly children and women, “are being starved, bombed, and erased,” blaming governments and corporations for enabling the crisis “through military support, financial aid, and diplomatic cover. Their silence is not neutrality, it is endorsement.”
The Gaza Health Ministry reported 11 new deaths from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 300.
Food security experts warned that the famine confirmed in the Gaza Governorate is spreading further.
The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 61,000, according to local authorities. More than 800,000 people have been newly displaced since the end of a ceasefire in March, UN humanitarians said.
Aid delivery remains blocked. Only seven of 15 missions requiring Israeli coordination were facilitated on Sunday, while others were denied or impeded, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Education has also collapsed, with schools damaged or converted into shelters. Over 35,000 high school students remain unable to take exams.
Call for accountability
Caritas Internationalis demanded a permanent ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, release of hostages, and accountability for perpetrators.
It also called for the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion on ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
“The famine in Gaza is a test of moral integrity, and too many have failed. To starve a population is to desecrate life. To remain silent is to be complicit,” Caritas said.
Quoting Pope Francis, it added, “We are either all saved together or no one is saved.”
“The world is watching. History is recording. And Gaza is waiting, not for words, but for salvation,” it said.
