Israel Uses Starvation as a Method of War: UN Commissioner Türk

On Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denounced Israel for committing a war crime in Gaza by using the population's hunger as a method of warfare.

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"The situation of hunger, starvation, and famine is a result of the enormous restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, the displacement of the majority of the population, as well as the destruction of vital civilian infrastructure," he said.

In a clear and direct statement, Türk argued that the permanent restrictions on aid entry to Gaza, along with Israel's conduct of hostilities for over five months, constitute methods that can be classified as war crimes.

He maintained that episodes of chaos and civil disorder are occurring because desperation is immense, to the point where families are resorting to the extreme decision of sending children who are still in northern Gaza alone and on foot to the south, hoping they will find something to eat and assistance there. 

In the south, there are over 1.8 million displaced people who are also suffering from hunger. However, famine and starvation deaths are more widespread in the northern sector of the Strip at this moment, which was the first target of Israel's attacks and from where the vast majority of the population has fled.

Türk recalled that Israel maintained a blockade of the Gaza Strip for 16 years, during which human rights violations occurred, the economic fabric was decimated, and Gazans became dependent on external aid. 

"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 organisations to deliver that assistance," the UN High Commissioner recalled.

"Israel must ensure that the population can access this aid in a safe and dignified manner. International human rights law imposes a similar obligation," he added.

The text reads, "Fadi al-Zant suffers from severe dehydration due to the famine in Gaza caused by the Israeli terrorist blockade. Fadi's mother says, 'Every day he dies in front of me and I don't know what to do.'"

At the end of February, Türk was also emphatic in pointing out that the Israeli offensive in Gaza amounts to a "carnage" that is unfolding before the eyes of all humanity.

"There appear to be no bounds to – no words to capture – the horrors that are unfolding before our eyes in Gaza. Since early October, over 100,000 people have been killed or wounded… about one in every twenty children, women, and men, are now dead or wounded," he recalled.

"At least 17,000 children are orphaned or separated form their families while many more carry the scars of physical and emotional trauma life-long. Today the number of people killed has exceeded 30,000 and tens of thousands of people are missing, many presumed buried under the rubble of their homes. This is carnage," the UN High Commissioner stated.