UN human rights chief warns Israel may use starvation as ‘method of war’ in Gaza

Famine is now imminent in northern Gaza due to ongoing hostilities and limited humanitarian aid, and could occur any time between mid-March and May, according to a report within the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative published on Monday.

“Israel’s now 16-year-old blockade of Gaza has already had a severe impact on human rights for the civilian population, leaving the local economy devastated and creating a dependence on aid. The extent of Israel’s continued restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, together with the manner in which it continues to conduct hostilities, may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which is a war crime,” Turk said in a statement on Tuesday.

Tuerk called for the projected imminent famine in the enclave to be prevented.

“The situation of hunger, starvation and famine is a result of Israel’s extensive restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, displacement of most of the population, as well as the destruction of crucial civilian infrastructure,” the statement read.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas last October, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and almost 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.