Starvation Warfare in Gaza: A War Crime Committed by Israel Against Civilians

A Call to End Collective Punishment and Systematic Starvation of Gaza’s Civilian Population

Since the outbreak of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, the war machine has gone far beyond airstrikes and missiles. The Israeli occupation has turned to a deadlier and more suffocating weapon: systematic starvation, used as a tool to break the will of the Palestinian people and subjugate them by force. This weapon, employed with direct political and military support from the United States, is being used amid shameful international silence, in blatant violation of all humanitarian laws and norms, and as part of a deliberate policy aimed at crushing Palestinian national dignity.

What is happening in Gaza is not collateral damage or an unintended consequence of conflict—it is a calculated approach, executed by Israel as part of a slow-motion strategy of eradication that deprives the population of the basic necessities of survival. Food, water, fuel, and medicine—everything that sustains human life—have been blocked or destroyed. Bakeries have been bombed, aid convoys targeted, food warehouses obliterated—all as part of a campaign designed to eliminate life at its roots.

American support for this approach goes beyond arms or funding. It extends to full political protection in international forums. The United States has repeatedly used its veto power to block any UN resolution aimed at halting the assault or opening humanitarian corridors. In doing so, Washington is no longer merely a supporter but a direct partner in a war crime being carried out in broad daylight.

Starvation here is not just a means of weakening the body—it is a tool for humiliating the spirit, for subduing a people who have chosen resistance over surrender. The occupation bets more on hunger than on bombs, understanding that breaking the spirit by depriving children of milk, mothers of water, and families of food may lead to the collapse of society from within. This is a war not fought on battlefields, but in empty stomachs and parched throats.

Even more alarming is the fact that these crimes are being committed in full view of the world, in an age where cameras document everything in real time. While governments remain silent or issue weak statements, people across the globe are taking to the streets, protesting, and standing in solidarity, calling for an end to the blockade and to collective punishment that does not distinguish between a child, a woman, or an elderly person.

And yet, the Palestinian people remain unbroken. Gaza—besieged, starved, and bombed—has not extended its hand to its oppressor, nor bargained away its dignity. Instead, as always, Gaza stands as a symbol of resilience, a testament to a people who turn their suffering into meaning, their hunger into steadfastness, and their blood into a legitimacy that no bomb can erase and no siege can contain.

We, at the International Shield Organization, affirm that what is happening in Gaza constitutes a full-fledged war crime that must not be ignored and will not expire with time. We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible, and we also hold the United States and its allied supporters as direct accomplices in this collective crime. We call upon free media, human rights organizations, and all people of conscience around the world to take immediate action to expose these criminal policies, break the blockade, and raise the voices of the besieged on every platform and stage.

Starvation will not subdue a people who have chosen dignity. Nor will it defeat a nation that has mastered resistance—even without water or bread. Gaza is not breathing its last; it is forging a new will to live out of the ashes of destruction. Amid the hunger, it is carving a path to freedom that cannot be crushed.

Issued by: International Shield Organization – Brussels, Belgium – May 28, 2025