Starvation Tactics: How Israel’s Siege is Using Famine to Silence Gaza

Gaza is currently facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, marked by a prolonged and intentional suffering. The ongoing airstrikes and the dire lack of essential resources like food and medicine have left millions in a state of despair. The situation is not merely a result of failed systems but stems from deliberate policies that have ensnared the region in a vicious cycle of suffering.

On October 9, 2023, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant made a stark announcement about a “complete siege” of Gaza, stating: “No electricity, no food, no fuel—everything is closed.” This declaration was followed by comments from then-Energy Minister Israel Katz, who referred to humanitarian supplies as “one of the main pressure levers.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was even more blunt, declaring: “No grain, no meds, no mercy.”

The famine that is currently unfolding is a direct consequence of isolating 2.3 million people from basic necessities. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, approximately 470,000 Palestinians are experiencing “catastrophic” conditions (IPC Phase 5), the most severe stage before widespread death occurs. In Gaza City, UNICEF reports that acute malnutrition among children under five has quadrupled in just two months, reaching a staggering 16.5 percent. In July alone, 74 individuals succumbed to malnutrition, including 24 children.

This is not a new strategy for Israel; using hunger as a weapon has been documented in previous conflicts. In the late 2000s, Israeli officials acknowledged that they calculated daily caloric needs for Palestinians—enough to stave off visible famine but insufficient for a dignified existence. The current approach has escalated to a complete denial of survival essentials.

Starvation in Gaza serves a dual purpose: it acts as both punishment and a means of forced displacement. In October 2023, leaked documents from the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence suggested a “preferred scenario” for relocating Gaza’s population to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, with the intention of creating a buffer zone to prevent their return. The methodology was brutally straightforward: render Gaza uninhabitable. If airstrikes do not compel people to flee, starvation will.

Inside the crumbling healthcare facilities of Gaza, the effects of this strategy are evident. Aid workers report seeing infants too frail to cry, their bodies unable to even absorb rehydration salts. Mothers, themselves suffering from malnutrition, hold babies they cannot nourish. One father from northern Gaza recounted the tragic loss of his six-week-old son, who died due to a lack of formula, as his wife could no longer produce milk. He poignantly stated: “We buried him in a box because he was too small for a shroud.” So far, the death toll from Gaza’s famine has reached 98 children.

International humanitarian laws are unequivocal. Article 54 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions clearly prohibits starving civilians as a tactic of war. Furthermore, Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court categorizes this act as a war crime. As the occupying power, Israel is obligated under the Fourth Geneva Convention to ensure that food and medical supplies reach Gaza.

Human Rights Watch has asserted that Israeli actions indicate a clear intent to starve civilians, while UN Special Rapporteurs warn that the ongoing siege could constitute genocide. In May 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant, explicitly citing starvation as part of the charges. However, history shows that such courts often hesitate to take action against Western-backed regimes unless under significant political pressure. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has referred to the situation as a “man-made mass starvation,” emphasizing that it is not a natural disaster but a calculated act.

Images depicting emaciated children and long lines of people waiting for bread under the threat of sniper fire have stirred public consciousness globally. From Sydney to San Francisco, demonstrators have taken to the streets, brandishing placards that declare, “Starvation is a War Crime,” urging for an immediate end to the siege. Despite over 20 countries, including major European powers and regional governments, condemning the blockade, most have limited their responses to verbal protests rather than taking substantive action.

In contrast, some nations have coupled their rhetoric with concrete measures. Iran has connected its military actions against Israel to the defense of Gaza, framing it as part of a broader Resistance Axis strategy aimed at breaking the siege. By supporting allied movements in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, Tehran has ensured that the pressure on Israel goes beyond mere diplomatic channels.

On July 22, 2025, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned “the horrific crimes committed by the Zionist regime,” warning that over a million Gazans are at risk of starvation. Pakistan, addressing the UN Security Council, characterized the siege as “unprecedented inhumanity” and called for immediate relief corridors. However, aside from Iran and a handful of other committed states, there remains a lack of a unified and ongoing regional effort—whether economic, diplomatic, or military—to effectively bring an end to the blockade.

The famine in Gaza is ongoing, representing a crime in progress. Each day without decisive action amplifies the suffering behind the grim statistics. The Qur’anic tradition suggests that the cries of the oppressed are heard by God, even if they are ignored by the world. Today, Gaza’s cries are mere whispers from those too weak to raise their heads. If the international community fails to act when at least 240 people have died from starvation and malnutrition-related causes, and nearly half a million teeter on the brink of survival, it risks forfeiting its claim to moral leadership.

History will ultimately judge whether we recognized this famine for what it truly is: a crime against humanity unfolding in plain sight. It will remember who took action and who allowed the slow weapon of starvation to continue its devastating work.

Muhammad Akmal Khan is a Pakistani journalist and foreign affairs analyst. He is a regular contributor to various international media outlets, focusing on South Asia–Middle East relations, conflict diplomacy, and the geopolitics of regional economic corridors.