An analysis by the organization Insecurity Insight, released on May 19, shows that more than 20,000 attacks on markets, farmland, and food distribution systems have been recorded since 2018, when the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2417 condemning the deliberate starvation of civilians.
Specifically, the incidents include 1,261 airstrikes on markets where people shop daily and 863 attacks on food distribution systems that killed aid workers. Additionally, researchers found 1,909 military attacks on agricultural land and 563 attacks on water infrastructure serving agriculture, affecting food security in over 42 countries and territories.
The occupied Palestinian territory recorded the highest number of attacks with 9,013, followed by Yemen with 1,863 and Sudan with 1,605. One of the most recent attacks in Sudan occurred on May 18, when a drone struck a crowded market in the town of Ghubaysh, West Kordofan state, killing 28 people. Witnesses said the military appeared to have deliberately targeted the market at a time when it was crowded with civilians.
Other countries that have recorded repeated attacks on food supplies include Syria (1,538 attacks, mostly carried out by government forces or Russian forces before the Assad regime fell) and Mali (1,415 attacks) as the country's military government struggles to hold power.
According to the research, the number of attacks on markets, farms, and food distribution systems has increased significantly over the past eight years. Giulia Contò, Director of Hunger and Conflict Advocacy at Action Against Hunger, warned: 'Hunger in Gaza and Sudan has made global headlines over the past two years, but the vast majority of conflict-induced hunger never gets attention. It happens every day, with relentless attacks on the systems communities depend on to survive: livestock looted, markets bombed, aid convoys blocked.'
Researchers also found that civilians are frequently targeted when trying to access food. From October 2023 to the end of 2025, more than 10,300 people were killed or injured while attempting to reach aid. Christina Wille, Director of Insecurity Insight, emphasized that women are disproportionately affected by the weaponization of hunger.
Wille urged the international community to enforce Resolution 2417, arguing that it is not the resolution that has failed, but the member states that have failed to implement it and show the political will to prevent the actions the international community says it opposes. Conflict remains the primary driver of hunger, accounting for more than half of those facing severe food insecurity.
