Washington: American actor Mark Ruffalo has urged world leaders to intervene in Gaza Strip, describing the worsening humanitarian crisis as a “man-made famine” and a “crime against humanity.”
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, August 24, he posted a video of himself addressing the crisis and citing findings from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the international body responsible for declaring famine conditions, which confirmed that Gaza has entered a state of famine.
“This is not a natural disaster. It’s not a drought. It’s a man-made disaster, a man-made criminal act to kill civilian populations. And it’s being perpetrated by Israel and the IDF,” Ruffalo said in his statement. He added that while food is plentiful on one side of the border, civilians in Gaza are left with nothing.
The actor appealed directly to the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and European leaders, urging them to “do something” to prevent further loss of life. He stressed that more than 80 percent of those killed in the conflict have been civilians, calling the situation “insane” and “heartbreaking.”
Alongside the video, Ruffalo posted a caption describing forced starvation in Gaza as a deliberate policy rather than a natural occurrence. “What we’re witnessing in Gaza is not just a tragedy, it is a crime against humanity. Forced starvation, a man-made famine — children and families wasting away while the world looks on in silence,” he wrote.
He warned that global inaction amounted to complicity, and demanded accountability, a permanent ceasefire, and protection of civilian life.
Ruffalo has been a consistent critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. He has previously voiced support for sanctions against Israel and has joined the Artists for Ceasefire initiative, which calls for an immediate and lasting halt to hostilities.
On Friday, August 22, IPC confirmed that famine has already struck northern Gaza and will likely spread further within weeks.
According to its findings, about 514,000 people—nearly a quarter of the enclave’s population—are facing famine, with numbers expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September. Roughly 280,000 of those affected live in Gaza City and its surroundings, while the rest are concentrated in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, areas predicted to slip into famine conditions by next month.
The war, which began on October 7, 2023, has now entered its 22nd month, with humanitarian agencies repeatedly warning of mass starvation and urging greater access to aid.
Since the start of the conflict, Israel’s military operations have killed more than 62,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities. The campaign has devastated the enclave, leaving much of its infrastructure in ruins and its population facing severe hunger.
