Europe, Africa, Asia, America. From one end to the other, humanity has faced the tormenting enemy of famine. Especially if they are in a time of war.
Today, the Gaza Strip is in a state of famine, since Israeli forces have completely excluded the area from any humanitarian aid. And the images we see are not at all different from the images of the famine in Athens. One would hope that humanity should never go hungry again. Especially given the global production of food. But famine is linked to war and wars have not stopped for a moment. Not during the last 100 years, nor before.
The famine in Athens and the blacksmiths
In the winter of 1941, Greece was under occupation with full control by the Axis powers. Then began the worst phase of the famine, a famine recorded as the largest during World War II. From November 1941 to April 1942, it is reported that 45,000 people died in Athens and tens of thousands more died in the rest of the country. In fact, over 600 deaths from famine were recorded per day.
During the Occupation, half a million Greek residents died. The primary cause of death was starvation. Famine was clearly a wartime practice. The Third Reich’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, wrote that people “whose fate has struck them so hard (with hunger and destitution) generally do not make revolutions. Hunger and cold are the order of the day.” Fortunately, he was wrong.
But the destitution was premeditated. The country’s economy came under the complete control of the occupying forces. For example, during the Occupation, over 350,000 properties changed hands, purchased by just 60,000 people and at 7% of their pre-war value! Houses and plots of land were bought from black market traders in exchange for even a tin of oil. The same was true of jewelry or other assets. These properties were never returned to their original owners, with few exceptions.
Famine is a war crime
In 2017, the civil war in Yemen and the blockade of the country by Saudi Arabia renewed the debate about war as a practice of war. At that time, the UN took a stand, reminding humanity that famine constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity when it comes from the deliberate action of a state or other actors that use food as a weapon of war. In fact, this practice is considered an international crime.
In the same year, it was recorded that more than 20 million people are hungry because of the war. These countries included Syria, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
From 2016 to 2017, 85,000 children died of hunger in Yemen. The number of adults remains unknown. In wartime, according to the UN, deaths from hunger and disease are more than those resulting from direct involvement in the war.
100 Years of War and Famine in Numbers
The Persian Famine of 1917: began during the occupation of Iran by Ottoman, Russian and British forces. By 1919, it is estimated that between 2,000,000 and 10,000,000 people had died
The Kazakhstan Famine: Between 1919 and 1922, between 400,000 and 750,000 people died, due to the Russian Civil War.
The Russian Famine: Between 1921 and 1922, 5,000,000 people died in Russia. The cause was a severe drought and the civil war. During the same period, we have the famines in Tatarstan and the first famine in Ukraine.
The Darfur famine: In 1926, famine struck Darfur, as a result of uprisings against British colonialism. Two years later, again due to the Boxer Rebellion and severe water shortages, between 6,000,000 and 10,000,000 people died in Northern China
The Ukrainian famine: Between 1932 and 1933, the worst famine in the country’s history occurred. Over 5,000,000 people died.
World War II
Warsaw Ghetto
Moroccan famine due to French colonialism and the war-torn French economy – 200,000 people died
Leningrad famine due to Nazi attacks – 1,000,000 people died
Athens famine
Kharkiv famine and Kiev famine – over 80,000 people died
Iranian famine of 1942: 4,000,000 people died
Bengal famine: 2,100,000 people died
Indonesian famine: 2,400,000 people died during the Japanese occupation
Denmark famine: 1,000,000 people died 20,000
After World War II
After the war, the worst famines are to be recorded in Vietnam, with over 4,000,000 dead, in African countries, in Yemen and now in Gaza.
In total, in Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Somalia and generally in West Africa, the deaths of famine (or famines) amount to more than 5,000,000 people. A huge number for data that does not concern global conflicts.
Yemen has been in famine conditions since 2016 and Gaza is the most recent open, great wound of humanity.
Dying in Gaza
It is difficult to say, even though we know it is happening, that the photos of emaciated children mean that these children will die. Even if they escape immediate starvation, the vital organs of malnourished people are not expected to last long.
From May 2024 to July of the same year, the percentage of malnourished children had increased by an astronomical 300%! For the past five weeks, all humanitarian aid to Gaza has been banned. And while previously only 25% of the population managed to receive food on an (almost) daily basis, now there are no figures at all for the current situation. The first victims of hunger are children, followed by the elderly.
The UN reports that in Gaza, doctors no longer see normal-weight babies because malnourished mothers cannot produce milk. It is also reported that newborns die immediately because they are extremely underweight. That is, their bodies cannot support life.
Also, many women miscarry in advanced pregnancy due to malnutrition and starvation.
According to a letter to President Biden from 99 American health workers serving in Gaza, in a period of one year from October 2023 to October 2024, at least 62,413 people died of starvation in Gaza.
We do not have the numbers of deaths after the blockade by Israeli forces.
