PENANG, Malaysia — One hundred fifty people’s movements, non-government organizations, and cause-oriented groups from 26 countries around the world have issued a joint statement demanding justice and accountability for the genocidal famine in Palestine orchestrated by Israel and supported by Western powers, especially the US.
The groups issued the statement to mark the United Nations’ (UN) World Food Day on October 16, which food sovereignty advocates call World Hunger Day, to highlight the growing hunger and food insecurity caused by systemic factors such as wars and occupation, including the US-Israel-directed famine in Palestine.
Amid the fragile ceasefire in Gaza brokered by President Donald Trump, strong global sentiment remains to hold Israel and its supporters, such as the US, accountable for the atrocities committed against Palestinians, including the criminal act of using starvation as a weapon.
The groups expressed support for the upcoming Right to Resist: International People’s Tribunal for Palestine, which will take place on November 22-23 in Barcelona, Spain. They see it as a platform to further expose the US-backed Zionist occupation, forced starvation, and ecocide in Palestine, and to demand justice and accountability for the brutal war crimes inflicted with impunity upon the Palestinian people and children.
“We strongly condemn the Netanyahu regime’s genocidal campaign and US and Western imperialist policies that fuel and sustain it. Each famine-related death is a murder… The ongoing famine challenges our shared humanity. We resolutely support the Palestinian people and their right to live in freedom, dignity, and sovereignty on their land,” the statement read.
Famine-related deaths in Gaza are pegged at 453, including 150 children, based on the latest estimates, which the groups said are “a direct and intended outcome of Israel’s weaponization of food.” The International People’s Tribunal for Palestine will look into these gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law when it convenes next month.
The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report indicates that over 8% of people worldwide experience hunger, with the highest rates in Africa (more than 20%) and West Asia (around 13%), including Palestine. More than 295 million individuals across 53 countries face severe food insecurity, marking a six-year continuous increase, mainly due to conflict, such as the genocide in Palestine. Additionally, nearly 38 million children in crisis zones suffer from acute malnutrition, with Gaza reporting a record 12,000 cases in July 2025, the highest monthly number ever recorded.
In their joint statement, the groups honored “the unbreakable spirit and courage of the Palestinian people, who, despite decades of ruthless occupation and ongoing genocide, continue to firmly defend their inalienable right to exist and self-determination. Their admirable strength is a powerful testament to the human will for justice and freedom. Their righteous struggle resonates strongly in a global wave of solidarity, where millions worldwide are mobilizing through various forms of resistance.”
Global networks and institutions, regional formations from Asia, Africa, and Europe, and national and local groups from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, Chile, Cyprus, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, and the United States signed the statement.
The International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS), PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP), Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN), Asian Peasant Coalition (APC), Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA), Food Sovereignty Alliance (FSA) India, and Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) initiated the joint statement to further build global solidarity for the Palestinian people and support the upcoming International People’s Tribunal for Palestine.
Read the full statement and list of signing organizations: End the genocidal famine, stop imperialist complicity in Palestine!
