Chef Max La Manna stages hunger strike to protest Gaza aid blockade

It has been over two months since significant humanitarian aid last entered the Gaza Strip, risking the lives of the millions of Palestinian men, women and children who rely on the aid to survive.

Witnessing the blockade and the results from it, one American chef decided to take a stand and raise awareness about the "forced famine" happening in the besieged territory.

"It's seeing food being used as a weapon," award-winning chef Max La Manna tells The New Arab. "As a human, but also as a chef, I think seeing food being used as a weapon is inhumane."

Living solely on water, electrolytes, and herbal tea, La Manna had not eaten food for seven days, wanting to use his platform for good.

Having grown up next to a soup kitchen, where he witnessed people begging and hungry for food, the chef says it has always been "built in" to do what he does, having spoken about these matters for a long time.

"I wanted to call on our government to end the blockade of humanitarian aid and to get food and water and medical supplies into Gaza, because I don't think anyone should be in that position."

The chef has been documenting his hunger strike journey daily on his social media platforms, but also protested in front of local supermarkets, calling on them to remove all products tied to Israel from their shelves.

"Boycotting is really powerful, so is hunger striking. It's a really powerful, impactful form of activism." La Manna explains. "We vote with our money. We give power to those with our money."

"So, if we're buying something that is supporting a genocide, then our money is going towards that, so let's think about where our money is going."

"Our hard-earned money. Where is that going, and who is it impacting?" La Manna adds.

Although La Manna resides in the UK, the chef is still a US citizen, revealing he pays tax in both the UK and the US, feeling somewhat responsible for contributing to the government's aiding and abetting of Israel's war.

"I'm funding this genocide through two countries," La Manna says. "I feel like I need to step up, I need to say something."

La Manna admits there have been some struggles during his protest, admitting that the first two days were "really tough".

"I'm not gonna lie, I really miss food," La Manna admits. "It's one of those things that brings me joy."

La Manna has since noticed weight loss, changes in his face and eyes, and even altered vision.

At the time of speaking to The New Arab, La Manna says he feels fine with great energy levels, staying conscious of how he feels.

"I'm not condoning people to go on hunger strikes," the chef says, "I'm keeping tabs on it. I'm writing notes and making sure I feel fine, and when I do feel tired, I settle, I relax."

La Manna says it is not about his hunger or whether he has a little bit of a stomach-ache; he just wants to keep going and think about the families and children who are being forcibly starved in Gaza.

"What families and children are going through right now is far more important than me thinking about how I'm feeling," La Manna says.

When asked how long he plans to stay without food, La Manna said he is not sure but knows he needs to look out for his health.

"I'm going to see how far I can go," La Manna says. "Hopefully, the humanitarian aid will reach Gaza, the blockade will move to the side, and then I can potentially think about putting some food in my body."

While the chef gets the "occasional death threat" over his protest for Gaza, which La Manna admits is "really sad to come across", the chef says the response to his strike has been overwhelmingly positive.

When he started cooking and content creation, the chef says his whole mission was to help inspire, educate and transform the way people cook.

"When there are issues, or problems, or political differences in the world, it comes down to us," La Manna explains. "I shouldn't get a pass because I have a large following, we're all human, and we don't want to see anyone suffering."

"It would be more powerful if we all came together and saw that if we all join as one, we can do so much more."

Editor's note: La Manna broke his hunger strike on 19 May, having protested for seven days.