When International Insight last examined the situation in Gaza, Israel and Hamas had reached a three-phase ceasefire deal and were supposed to be in the midst of that first phase. But instead, the ceasefire had been violated, basic utilities cut, and aid into Gaza had been suppressed with Israel pressing for the return of half of Hamas’s hostages, Hamas in ceasefire talks with Egypt and the U.S., and the Yemeni Houthi rebels threatening to resume attacks on Israeli and Israel-linked ships.
In the last five months, that situation has grown exponentially, unimaginably worse as a horrible famine and hunger crisis washes across Gaza.
In a report from the UN as of July 29, over 20,000 children had been treated for acute malnutrition, 70% of Gaza’s infrastructure had collapsed, and 90% of Gaza’s 2.1 million-odd population had been displaced at least once, if not multiple times. According to a UN reference to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the situation in Gaza has now met two of the IPC’s three famine thresholds: plummeting food consumption and acute malnutrition with the third criteria – deaths from malnutrition – unfeasible to determine.
In fact, according to a May 2025 projection by the IPC (included in the same UN report), the situation in Gaza is projected to significantly deteriorate by September 2025 – barely a month from today – with at least half a million people – 25% of Gaza’s population – set to approach IPC Phase 5, or catastrophe, which entails destitution, starvation, and death.
To make matters worse, in addition to the scarcity of food that likely was a driving factor of the widespread hunger crisis in Gaza, many Gazans are now also facing skyrocketing inflation and a horrible dearth of cash, creating a situation where Gazans are struggling to purchase the little food they can find. According to the New York Times as of August 9 – with numbers from surveys conducted by the Gaza Governorate Chamber of Commerce, two pounds of sugar in Gaza currently costs $10 with “a similar amount of tomatoes [costing] about $20.” For reference, the cost of two pounds of tomatoes here in Frisco, TX is about $1.64 (82¢/lb), making the cost of tomatoes in Gaza almost 1220% higher.
On the cash end, a majority, if not all, of Gaza’s banks and ATMs have been destroyed or shut down and simultaneously, Gaza has not seen any major cash injections since Oct 7, 2023, due to Hamas’s attacks on Israel. Even the lucky few who still have access to money digitally – through overseas money transfers or regular salary deposits – have found themselves paying 50% commissions simply to convert their own money in their bank accounts to cash, specifically Israeli shekels.
But there might be a light – however small – in all this darkness. Australia is set to join the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Malta in recognizing Palestine’s statehood in September with both Portugal and New Zealand looking to follow suit. These nations will officially recognize Palestine at the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in September.
But what does it mean to recognize a nation’s statehood? And why is it so important?
Consider the situation of Ukraine. While much of the wider world – including the West – recognizes Ukraine as a sovereign state, the current Russian administration does not recognize Ukraine’s statehood, or for that matter, even Crimea’s. This refusal to recognize statehood prompted – and in the eyes of the Putin administration – justified the invasion and attempted annexation of both these territories, which Wingspan has previously explored.
Similarly, Israel also currently does not recognize Palestinian statehood. And while almost all Asian, African, and South American nations do recognize Palestine, many Western nations do not, creating a marked difference from the Ukraine situation. While a nation does not need to be recognized by other nations to be considered a sovereign state, international recognition is a powerful asset, especially when it comes to trade and other forms of international relations. Additionally, especially when compared to the Ukraine situation, Palestinian recognition by Western nations could hold the potential to greater support for Gaza, particularly in terms of the ongoing famine as well as a means to strengthen the push for a two-state solution, secure a lasting ceasefire, and ensure the release of hostages – all goals mentioned by the Australian Prime Minister in his statement on Palestinian recognition.
Conclusion –
While Australia and the other Western nations’ recognition of Palestine may hold the potential for positive change in Palestine, the situation in Gaza has significantly deteriorated over the course of the past few months. And the world has largely remained silent.
It is not enough to hold out for these nations to recognize Palestine and hope that that recognition will suffice and will create enough change. The onus is still on us to work towards that change and ensure that the situation improves in Gaza because it’s no longer just a war.
In the words of the UN Secretary-General himself, it is a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
The question is no longer that of borders, of international relations, of one country over another. It is a question of helping people in need and doing the right thing for tens of thousands of people starving and fighting for their lives.
And only after that, only after addressing the hunger crisis and famine spreading across Gaza can we even begin to consider the question of sovereignty and statehood.
