Conflicts & War

Israel might be using starvation as ‘method of war’ in Gaza: UN

Geneva, Mar 19 (EFE).- Israel’s restrictions on the entry of aid to Gaza may amount to using starvation as a “method of war,” the United Nations said Tuesday.

Israeli restrictions on aid and relief efforts in the Gaza Strip as a part of its ongoing offensive against the Hamas militant group has caused widespread hunger, starvation and famine in the enclave.

“The extent of Israel’s continued restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, together with the manner in which it continues to conduct hostilities, may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which is a war crime,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement.

Israel’s military offensive since the beginning of the Gaza war in October, along with restrictions on aid delivery, has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the Strip, where “dangerous coping strategies are already emerging in the face of starvation,” according to the UN official.

“Law and order is breaking down as people become increasingly desperate,” said Turk. “Children have reportedly been sent to make the dangerous journey from northern to southern Gaza, unaccompanied, in the desperate hope to find food.”

Rafah, which the UN describes as “the last line of Palestinian existence,” in the southernmost part of Gaza houses over 1.5 million displaced people, along with several international aid agencies.

“Israel, as the occupying power, has the obligation to ensure the provision of food and medical care to the population commensurate with their needs and to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations to deliver that assistance,” Turk said.

“This catastrophe is human-made and was entirely preventable,” the high commissioner said.

He urged for the restoration of essential services, including the supply of food, water, electricity, and fuel, and called for an immediate ceasefire as well as the unconditional release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

Israeli strikes have killed over 31,800 Gazans, mostly women and children, wounded over 74,000, and displaced more than 80 percent of the population. Moreover, 8,000 bodies are estimated to be under the rubble.

The Israeli offensive began in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on its soil, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and over 250 others were taken hostage. EFE

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