Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza has pushed the region into a dire humanitarian crisis, with the death toll from starvation reaching 113, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The blockade, described by scholars as a deliberate tactic, has crippled access to food, water, and medical supplies, leaving Palestinians in a state of enforced hunger and dehydration.
Omer Bartov, a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, labeled Israel’s actions as “starvation as a weapon of war,” calling it a war crime and an act contributing to genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The policy has led to Stage 5 malnutrition levels, as reported by the World Health Organization, where recovery from starvation’s devastating effects becomes nearly impossible.
Israel’s actions have not only caused physical harm but have also dismantled Gaza’s societal fabric, rendering it uninhabitable.
Derek Summerfield, a UK-based psychiatrist, described the conflict as a “sociocidal war,” aimed at destroying Gaza’s institutions, from hospitals to universities, stripping Palestinians of their identity and hope.
The Health Ministry reported that 59,587 Palestinians have been killed and 143,498 injured since October 7, 2023, with 1,083 aid seekers killed since May 27 due to attacks on distribution sites.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the starvation and killing of people at aid centers “a stain on the international community’s conscience,” urging immediate intervention to deliver aid.
The international response to Gaza’s crisis has been widely criticized as inadequate, with accusations of bias in global politics.
Irish MEP Lynn Boylan highlighted a disparity in how Palestinian lives are valued compared to others, noting the EU’s swift action against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but failure to address Israel’s actions.
Over 60 European Parliament members have demanded sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel, citing the deaths of over 1,000 at aid sites and the failure of recent EU-Israel aid agreements to improve conditions.
As Gaza faces what local journalist Hani Mahmoud called the “worst days” under Israel’s starvation policy, the lack of accountability continues to exacerbate the suffering of millions.