The United Nations has formally declared a famine in the Gaza Strip, where more than a half-million Palestinians face widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths. The declaration follows 22 months of near-constant Israeli bombardment, along with the repeated forced displacement of Palestinians, severe restrictions on access to food, water and medicine, and the collapse of health, sanitation and market systems. The U.N.’s top humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, spoke from Geneva earlier today.

Tom Fletcher: “It is a famine in 2025, a 21st-century famine, watched over by drones and the most advanced military technology in history. It is a famine openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war. It is a famine on all of our watch. Everyone owns this. The Gaza famine is the world’s famine.”