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A charity organization distributes food, “Takiya,” to displaced Palestinians, in the Gaza Strip. In Gaza, UNRWA said that the situation is becoming more disastrous, on February 9, 2024.
Amid International Silence and Inaction
Mwatana for Human Rights has reported that Israeli occupation forces continue to use starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinians. This is done by attacking civilian objects and infrastructure, denying humanitarian access, and restricting essential supplies crucial for the survival of Palestinians. These actions have persisted for over eight months during Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, severely affecting access to food and water for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians. This deprivation has particularly endangered children, violating international humanitarian law, which considers deliberate starvation and obstruction of relief supplies as war crimes. Despite these grave violations, the international community remains silent and fails to act to stop Israel's ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people.
Radhya Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, stated, "The lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians are at risk due to the continued use of starvation as a weapon of war by Israeli occupation forces, while the international community remains silent and inactive in stopping this humanitarian disaster, even as the situation in Gaza reaches its worst state." Al-Mutawakel called on the international community "to take serious action to save civilians, not only by providing necessary food but also by implementing effective measures to address the consequences of widespread hunger among civilians and ending violations that blatantly breach the rules and principles of international humanitarian law and human rights law, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war."
The Gaza Health Office reported that 32 people, including 28 children, died from malnutrition and dehydration in hospitals in northern Gaza as of April 1, 2024. UN agencies stated in mid-February that 5% of children under two suffer from acute malnutrition. On June 27, the UN Women reported that at least 557,000 women in Gaza suffer from severe food insecurity, with particular concern for mothers and adult women who bear increased responsibilities for caregiving and household duties in tents and temporary shelters.
According to the third update on food insecurity in Gaza published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA) on June 25, 96% of Gaza's population is likely to face worse levels of acute food insecurity, including 33% expected to face emergency levels and 22% facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. OCHA data indicated that more than half of the population lacks regular access to food, with over 20% going days without eating.
The UN World Food Programme warned in a statement that humanitarian operations in Gaza are nearing collapse, making the threat of famine very real. OCHA noted that civilians displaced by increased hostilities and evacuation orders in Gaza lack shelter, food, and other supplies essential for survival. Moreover, independent UN experts have described Israel's deliberate starvation campaign against Palestinian civilians as a form of genocide, calling for unhindered humanitarian access, an end to the blockade, and a ceasefire.
International humanitarian law mandates that state and non-state actors respect, protect, and prevent violations of rules safeguarding civilians' access to essential survival supplies, including food and water, during armed conflicts. These rules explicitly prohibit the deliberate starvation of civilians under international humanitarian law.
Mwatana for Human Rights urges the international community to take immediate action to remove all obstacles to humanitarian work, facilitate unrestricted access for humanitarian workers, and press for the free movement of life-saving humanitarian aid and medical supplies.
