Amnesty International Alleges Israel is ‘Weaponising Hunger’ in Prolonged Gaza Crisis
JERUSALEM, Aug 18 — In a powerful and emotionally charged statement, Amnesty International has accused Israel of intentionally using hunger as a weapon in Gaza, alleging that the Israeli government has enforced a “deliberate policy” of starvation over the past 22 months. This comes at a time when United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations continue to raise the alarm about the growing threat of famine in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
Despite these urgent warnings, Israel continues to maintain strict control over the aid entering Gaza — a region already brought to its knees by ongoing violence and destruction. The Israeli authorities, however, have strongly denied any accusations of deliberately causing hunger or famine.
Amnesty’s latest report draws on heartbreaking testimonies from displaced Palestinian families and overwhelmed medical personnel treating children suffering from severe malnutrition. The rights group paints a grim picture: entire communities surviving in makeshift camps, health systems on the brink of collapse, and an increasing number of children losing their lives not just to war, but to hunger.
“Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip,” Amnesty said. The report further alleges that this is not an unfortunate byproduct of war but a calculated outcome of Israeli strategies — a systematic dismantling of the health and social infrastructure that sustains Palestinian life.
The NGO claims these conditions meet the threshold of genocide under international law, warning that Israel’s policies are “designed and implemented… to deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction.”
These disturbing findings are based on interviews conducted with 19 displaced individuals currently taking refuge in three separate camps, as well as two doctors working in hospitals across Gaza City.
When asked for a response by AFP, Israeli military and foreign ministry officials offered no immediate comment. However, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a defense ministry body managing civil affairs, recently dismissed the reports of widespread malnutrition in Gaza. COGAT also criticized health data released by the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.
Earlier in April, Amnesty had also accused Israel of orchestrating a “live-streamed genocide” by forcibly displacing large segments of Gaza’s population — an accusation that Israel vehemently denied, labeling it “blatant lies.”
But beyond the political rhetoric and strategic statements, millions of civilians remain caught in the crossfire — ordinary men, women, and children facing unimaginable suffering each day.
This latest report from Amnesty is not just another headline. It is a plea for humanity, accountability, and most importantly, immediate action.