DaysofPal- The Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has issued a harrowing statement, declaring that Israel is deliberately using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza. Under the title *“Famine is the method, genocide is the goal,”* Al Mezan accuses Israel of enforcing a total blockade for more than 60 days, fully aware of the catastrophic impact this policy is having on more than two million Palestinians.
The organization argues that this blockade is not simply a byproduct of war but a calculated strategy to eradicate Gaza’s civilian population by cutting off their most basic means of survival.
Since October 2023, Israel has bombed at least 28 community kitchens and 37 humanitarian aid centers, critical infrastructure that once served as lifelines for desperate families. On March 26, Israeli forces targeted a soup kitchen that had been feeding 400 families each day. In the Nuseirat refugee camp, another kitchen that provides meals to over 2,000 families is now on the verge of shutting down due to the lack of supplies. These attacks, Al Mezan says, are not random but systematic and deliberate, aimed at dismantling Gaza’s ability to feed itself and survive.
Food production and distribution systems in Gaza have been systematically destroyed. Farmlands, fishing boats, and food warehouses have all been targeted.
The once-thriving fishing industry is now crippled, with fishermen facing daily gunfire from the Israeli navy. A fisherman from Deir al-Balah described how he risks his life daily just to catch a few fish near the shore.
“I’ve seen my colleagues shot and killed. I’m afraid to keep fishing, but I fear hunger even more,” he said. The markets have also collapsed under the weight of the blockade. Basic food items, if available at all, are priced beyond the reach of most families. A bag of flour that once cost $5 now sells for $140. Rice, oil, vegetables, and meat have either disappeared from the shelves or are sold at exorbitant prices. With no income and dwindling aid, families now rely entirely on soup kitchens for their survival.
The humanitarian crisis has reached alarming levels. On April 25, the World Food Programme announced that it had exhausted its food supplies in Gaza, bringing an end to its hot-meal programs. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has classified the situation as Phase 5, the most severe level of malnutrition.
According to the UN, over 60,000 children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition, with at least 3,600 receiving treatment, an 80% increase within a single month. A father described his son’s physical deterioration, diagnosed as malnutrition at Al-Shifa Hospital. With no income and barely any food available, the family resorted to feeding the boy a single plate of vegetables each day in a desperate attempt to keep him alive.
Al Mezan’s director, Issam Younis, described the situation in Gaza as a catastrophe beyond words. He emphasized that the denial of food and water now affects every part of society, children, nursing mothers, the sick, and the elderly. Starvation and dehydration, he said, are being weaponized in a campaign of genocide. He warned that neutrality in such circumstances amounts to complicity, urging the international community to recognize the situation not as a humanitarian failure but as a deliberate death sentence imposed on civilians.
“Time in Gaza is measured by the number of children’s bodies, by a single dose of medicine, a loaf of bread, or a sip of water,” Younis said. “Those who commit these crimes and those who enable them must be held accountable.”
In addition to food, Israel continues to block the entry of medical supplies, including rehydration treatments, vitamins, and therapeutic foods necessary for treating malnutrition. The Ministry of Health has warned that the situation is especially critical for children, pregnant women, and newborns.
Many children are in the final stages of malnutrition, and the absence of basic medications and infant formula is pushing families past the brink. Over 600,000 children are also at risk of polio, as Israel continues to prevent the entry of essential vaccines.
Al Mezan, supported by the Palestinian NGO Network and other rights groups, affirms that Gaza has now entered an advanced stage of famine. The group holds Israel fully responsible for this humanitarian collapse, emphasizing that the destruction of aid infrastructure and the blockade of food and medicine constitute clear violations of international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The organization condemned what it described as Israel’s starvation policy, its deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure, and its collective punishment of an entire population. It called on the international community to act urgently, to lift the blockade, ensure the immediate delivery of food, water, and medical supplies, and initiate legal and political processes to hold Israel accountable for war crimes.
In its final warning, Al Mezan stated that the current crisis in Gaza is not only a humanitarian disaster but a deliberate and coordinated campaign to destroy civilian life. The group insists that the world must respond, not with expressions of concern, but with concrete actions to stop the starvation, end the siege, and ensure justice for the victims.
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