Spanish premier warns hunger being used as ‘cheap weapon of war’

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday warned that hunger is increasingly being used as a “very cheap weapon” in conflicts, condemning attacks on food infrastructure and warning of worsening global food insecurity driven by war in the Middle East.

Speaking at the Food Security and Nutrition Under Pressure: Consequences of the Conflict in the Middle East event during Rome Nutrition Week, Sanchez said more than 700 million people worldwide face food insecurity while millions of children suffer from malnutrition.

“Hunger today is exactly that: a weapon,” Sanchez said, describing it as “a very cheap weapon” and “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

He said more than 20,000 attacks against markets, farmland, and food distribution systems had been recorded over the past eight years, specifically referring to Gaza, where “some seek to win a war by starving an entire people into submission.”

Sanchez also criticized Israel's treatment of members of a humanitarian flotilla detained last week while attempting to deliver aid.

"They are, by the way, the same ones who last week humiliated, abandoned, and mistreated the members of a flotilla that only intended to deliver humanitarian aid," he said.

The Spanish leader warned that disruptions caused by conflicts, including supply chain breakdowns and the closure of key trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, risk triggering a new global food crisis within months.

Sanchez said Europeans already feel the impact "in our pockets" through rising food costs, while in other regions the consequences are "even more dramatic" because of the growing risk of famine.

On the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly half of maritime trade in nitrogen-based fertilizers passes, he warned that prices for the products have risen by as much as 50%.

"Therefore, I believe it is very important that we are aware of what is at stake, because the decisions made today will determine, as has been said here, whether within six or 12 months the world will face a new food crisis," he said.

He added: "Those who set the world on fire are never the ones who end up going hungry."

According to Sanchez, Spain increased development aid by 13% in 2025 despite a broader global decline and pledged continued support for multilateral efforts to combat hunger.

UN food agency chief urges early action

Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu warned that disruptions linked to the Middle East war and the Strait of Hormuz 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, and beyond,” said Qu. "We must act early before humanitarian and economic costs rise.”

He said rising energy and fertilizer prices are increasing food 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,” he said. “They begin when farmers cannot plant, when fertilizers become unaffordable, when transport systems break down and when vulnerable households lose their purchasing power.”

Qu warned that export restrictions on fertilizers and agricultural inputs could worsen shortages and instability.

He said the shock to fertilizer availability will reduce the protein content and micronutrient density of staple foods. When soils are degraded due to lack of inputs, the fruits and vegetables that form the foundation of healthy diets become "scarcer and more expensive."

"It is critical that even amidst supply shocks, we must protect the nutritional integrity of our agrifood systems," he added.