WIREDGOV

Israel’s deliberate starvation of Gaza’s population is a logical conclusion of a campaign aimed at the destruction of life in the Strip, a campaign that many experts view as genocidal.

In October 2023, Israel imposed a complete siege on Gaza, cutting off water, food, gas, and electricity – a clear act of collective punishment identified in international law as a war crime. While Israel subsequently did begin to allow some of these services, supplies remained severely restricted, with total siege reimposed in areas of IDF operations. Israel reimposed a full blockade on Gaza in the beginning of March 2025 amid tepid Western criticism. Without any food or aid entering the Strip, the population began to starve. Dozens are known to have died from malnutrition, with the true toll likely far higher. Minute quantities of food have begun entering Gaza through the US-Israeli aid agency, but the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation lacks the infrastructure – and the political neutrality – to stave off famine in the Strip.

Yet Israel’s starvation of Gaza should not elicit surprise from international onlookers. Over the course of its twenty-month campaign in Gaza, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has attempted to destroy every facet of life in Gaza, from eradicating infrastructure to mass killings of Palestinians.

This article argues that starving a population is but a natural extension of IDF efforts in Gaza, while examining the claim that this campaign constitutes ‘genocide’.

The Destruction of Gaza

While Hamas’ presence in civilian areas is used to justify the scale of devastation seen in Gaza, the embedding of combatants within civilian infrastructure and populations is not a new phenomenon, nor does it permit a military free rein to destroy the area in question. Urban warfare against an insurgent force is nearly always a bloody affair, but both sides – especially the military with overwhelming firepower – are strictly constrained in their conduct, particularly when human shields are being used. The IDF has flouted these obligations, engaging in a campaign of disproportionate violence that has systematically destroyed every aspect of Palestinian life in the Strip.

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