USAID Chief Confirms Famine Underway in Gaza Amid Continued US Arms Sales

Under questioning from Rep. Joaquin Castro, Power confirmed that malnutrition rates among children in northern Gaza have spiked to one in three, a stark contrast to pre-war levels that were near zero. The hearing, held before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was briefly disrupted by CodePink activists who accused the administration of complicity in the crisis. These activists challenged Power to use her influence to halt the assault, labeling her a bystander to the mounting death toll.

Power’s testimony aligns with recent reports that USAID officials warned the White House in a private cable that starvation in Gaza is unprecedented in modern history. Despite these internal alerts, the administration is reportedly pushing for an $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel. Sen. Bernie Sanders recently criticized the continued supply of 2,000-pound bombs, which have been deployed in densely populated areas. Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy David Satterfield stated that the risk of famine for the entire 2.2 million population is no longer a matter of debate, but an established fact recognized by international experts.