Planned Jordan food festival slammed as 'shameful' amid mass starvation in Gaza

An upcoming food festival in Jordan has sparked fierce condemnation and calls for a boycott amid rising deaths from starvation and dehydration in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing Israeli blockade. 

A series of posters for the second annual Jordan International Food Festival - due to take place next month - advertise an "unforgettable culinary experience" that highlights local ingredients and chefs. 

But they have sparked anger among many on social media who are questioning the promotion of an "extravagant" food event against the backdrop of a hunger crisis and spreading famine in neighbouring Palestine, where at least 100 people have already died from malnutrition.

"Gaza is literally dying of hunger, and a few kilometres away, the Jordan International Food Festival is taking place?!" one user commented on Facebook.

"A festival of food, extravagance, and photography... over the bodies of children dying of hunger. This is not just a lack of feelings, but a complete moral failure," he continued, adding that people should boycott or cancel the event.

"Cancel the food festival in Jordan. No celebration while Gaza is starving," reads an image shared in Instagram templates, a format which allows for photos to be reshared by different users. 

"A festival just kilometers away from a genocide is not culture - it's complicity."

Read more: Planned Jordan food festival slammed as 'shameful' amid mass starvation in Gaza