Amnesty International on Monday accused Israel of pursuing a “deliberate policy” of starvation in Gaza, as the United Nations and aid agencies warned the territory is on the brink of famine.
"Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life," Amnesty International said in a statement as it published chilling new testimonies of starved displaced civilians.
It noted that the ongoing hunger and disease in Gaza are not an "unfortunate byproduct" of Israel's military operations but rather an intended outcome of Israel's plan.
Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into the Gaza Strip, rejects claims of deliberate starvation in the 22-month-old genocidal war.
"It is the intended outcome of plans and policies that Israel has designed and implemented, over the past 22 months, to deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction – which is part and parcel of Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza," Amnesty said.
The report is based on interviews conducted in recent weeks with 19 displaced Gazans sheltering in three makeshift camps, as well as two medical staff in two hospitals in Gaza City.
"As Israeli authorities threaten to launch a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City, the testimonies we have collected are far more than accounts of suffering, they are a searing indictment of an international system that has granted Israel a license to torment Palestinians with near-total impunity for decades," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.
Pointing to the "catastrophic" consequences of Israel's blockade and genocide for civilians, she noted that its impacts "cannot be undone" by increasing the number of aid trucks or "restoring performative, ineffective and dangerous airdrops of aid."
"Palestinian children are being left to waste away, forcing families into an impossible choice: helplessly hearing the cries of their emaciated children pleading for food, or risking death or injury in a desperate search for aid," Guevara-Rosas added, underlining that Israel's deliberate and systematic campaign of starvation continues to inflict "unbearable suffering" on an entire population.
She stressed that most families in Gaza are "beyond breaking point," warning that an "already catastrophic situation" could descend into even "deeper horror" if Israel proceeds with its plan of a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City.
"The world cannot continue to pat Israel on the shoulder for trickling in aid and viewing these cosmetic measures as a sufficient response to its calculated destruction of the life of Palestinians in Gaza," Guevara-Rosas further said.
She also urged the international community to uphold its moral and legal obligations to bring an end to Israel's ongoing genocide.
"States must urgently suspend all arms transfers, adopt targeted sanctions and terminate any engagement with Israeli entities when this contributes to Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza," Guevara-Rosas added.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military and Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on Amnesty's findings.
In a report issued last week, the Israeli Defense Ministry's COGAT, a body overseeing civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, rejected claims of widespread malnutrition in Gaza and disputed figures shared by the Gaza Health Ministry.
In April, Amnesty accused Israel of committing a "live-streamed genocide" against Palestinians by forcibly displacing Gazans and creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged territory, allegations that Israel dismissed at the time as "blatant lies."
Israel has killed more than 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
