American Investigation: Israel Uses Starvation as Weapon of War
The report described the policy as a systematic violation of international humanitarian law.
Despite abundant food in surrounding areas, Gaza's 2 million residents face severe famine, not from a shortage of supplies, but from the Israeli blockade and stringent military restrictions on aid deliveries.
The report cited Bob Kitchen, Vice President of Emergency at the International Rescue Committee, who called the crisis 'a completely man-made famine' and condemned the Israeli closure of border crossings and obstruction of humanitarian aid.
According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, at least 222 people, including 101 children, have died from hunger in recent weeks.
Over 18,000 children have been treated for severe acute malnutrition since the start of the year, while many others are denied treatment due to shortages of medicines and equipment.
More than 1,500 people have also been killed while trying to reach food distribution points.
Food prices have soared amid the blockade, with a bag of flour selling for around $100 when available.
Thousands of tons of aid remain stuck at Gaza's borders in Jordan and Egypt, awaiting Israeli approval that is often denied.
Before the current war, international agencies operated hundreds of aid distribution points across Gaza.
Today, only four remain, all in the south, forcing civilians to risk dangerous journeys through checkpoints or war zones to access basic food supplies.
International law explicitly prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare, whereas Human rights groups say the Israeli actions constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.
They warn that temporary 'humanitarian pauses' or limited 'safe corridors' are insufficient and call for sustained, unrestricted aid deliveries to restore minimal food security.
Kitchen emphasized that the blockade's end requires 'intense international pressure,' particularly from governments with influence over the Israeli occupation, including the United States.
The report concludes that Gaza's crisis is not the result of natural disaster or global supply shortages but of 'a deliberate political and military decision' to impose a siege and use hunger to subdue an entire population, a policy that, if left unchanged, could condemn an entire generation to death or lifelong suffering.
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