In Gaza and Haiti, the humanitarian crises worsen as resources are dwindling rapidly and millions of residents are experiencing extreme hunger. According to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (I.P.C.), famine could break out in Gaza between mid-March and May. More than 1.1 million residents in Gaza are expected to face severe hunger due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict that has resulted in more than 31,988 deaths and blocked access to essential resources and services. Similarly, 1.4 million people are on the verge of famine in Haiti, where the United Nations World Food Program has reported more than 4 million people need help accessing food.

Matthew Hollingworth, the acting World Food Program country director for the Israeli-occupied territories, has said that “this is the largest number of people facing imminent famine in the world today, and it has only taken five months to occur.”

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the famine “entirely manmade,” and that “starvation is used as a weapon of war.”

Even before the start of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Gaza faced longstanding economic and food security challenges. The blockade that Israel imposed in 2007 – which was claimed to have been installed for security purposes – severely restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, exacerbating the crisis at hand. Israel has also placed severe restrictions on humanitarian aid supplies, denying entry to critical medical supplies such as anesthetics, water filter systems medicine, and maternity kits. In Haiti, criminal groups and gangs are restricting the transportation of food and supplies and attacking humanitarian organizations in many parts of the country, preventing aid from being received.

If the crises continue to develop in Gaza and Haiti, vulnerable populations, including children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, and people with underlying health conditions, are at the most risk of malnutrition. The aid of food supplies which both regions desperately need is hindered by political upheaval and ongoing conflicts. While humanitarian organizations can attempt to deliver more supplies to Gaza and Haiti, the root of the problem lies in the international community’s failure to reach a peaceful resolution by taking violent parties accountable.

Both Gaza and Haiti are in extremely vulnerable positions where their residents are almost solely reliant on humanitarian aid that is failing to reach those in need. The escalation of violence and conflict has further fueled the need for the international community to band together, extend aid, and reexamine their roles in upkeeping international peace.