Spanish premier warns hunger used as 'cheap weapon of war'

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned on Tuesday that hunger is increasingly being deployed as a "cheap weapon" in armed conflicts, condemning attacks on food infrastructure and cautioning that disruptions to Middle East trade routes risk triggering a global food crisis within months.

Weaponization of hunger

Speaking at the Food Security and Nutrition Under Pressure event during Rome Nutrition Week, Sanchez said more than 20,000 attacks against markets, farmland and distribution networks have been documented over the past eight years. He specifically referenced Gaza, where "some seek to win a war by starving an entire people into submission," adding that such tactics represent "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law."

The Spanish leader also criticized Israel's detention of humanitarian flotilla members last week, stating they "humiliated, abandoned and mistreated" activists attempting to deliver aid. "Hunger today is exactly that: a weapon," Sanchez said, describing it as "a very cheap weapon" that disproportionately impacts civilian populations.

Global trade disruptions

Sanchez warned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which nearly half of maritime fertilizer trade passes — has driven nitrogen-based fertilizer prices up by 50 percent. Europeans are already feeling the impact "in our pockets" through rising food costs, he noted, while other regions face "even more dramatic" consequences as famine risks mount.

"Those who set the world on fire are never the ones who end up going hungry," Sanchez said, cautioning that decisions made today will determine whether the world faces a new food crisis within six to 12 months. Spain increased development aid by 13 percent in 2025 despite broader global declines, he added, pledging continued support for multilateral efforts to combat hunger.

FAO warns of deeper crisis

Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Qu Dongyu echoed these concerns, stating that disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict are placing growing pressure on global agrifood systems. "The decisions we make now will determine whether this remains a manageable shock, or evolves into a deeper global food security crisis in 2026 and 2027," Qu said, urging early action before humanitarian costs rise.

He noted that rising energy and fertilizer prices are increasing production costs worldwide, while vulnerable countries already struggling with debt, climate shocks and conflict face worsening pressure. "Food crises do not begin when shelves are empty," Qu said. "They begin when farmers cannot plant, when fertilizers become unaffordable, when transport systems break down and when vulnerable households lose their purchasing power."