JERUSALEM, August 18 — The human toll of the 22-month conflict in Gaza continues to deepen as Amnesty International has issued a powerful statement, accusing Israel of deliberately using starvation as a tool of war. In a world where the cries of children and the pleas of parents should never go unheard, the rights group’s report brings a haunting new dimension to a crisis already marked by profound suffering.
According to Amnesty, what’s happening in Gaza is not just a byproduct of war—it is a policy. A policy, they claim, that has led to the widespread destruction of Gaza’s social fabric and has inflicted unimaginable suffering on its people.
Drawing from deeply personal interviews with 19 displaced Palestinians—men, women, and children now surviving in makeshift camps—as well as medical professionals on the frontlines, the report paints a devastating picture. It documents children suffering from severe malnutrition, hospitals overwhelmed with cases of starvation, and families forced to survive without the most basic necessities of life.
“Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip,” Amnesty said in its statement. “It is part of a broader, systematic effort to dismantle Palestinian life in Gaza—socially, physically, and emotionally.”
The organization went further, describing these actions as a calculated effort that could amount to genocide, alleging that Israel has created conditions “calculated to bring about physical destruction” of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Israel has continually denied such accusations. In response to previous reports, officials labeled the claims as “blatant lies” and pointed to their own figures, suggesting malnutrition in Gaza is not as widespread as claimed. However, the reality on the ground, seen through the eyes of exhausted doctors and grieving parents, tells a different story—one where every aid delay, every demolished clinic, and every food truck stopped at a checkpoint has a face and a name.
Amnesty’s latest call comes amid growing international concern. The UN and multiple aid organizations have warned for months that Gaza is teetering on the edge of famine. Despite this, aid remains severely restricted, and the humanitarian window narrows day by day.
The Israeli military and foreign ministry did not immediately comment on this latest report when contacted by AFP.
In April, Amnesty had already labeled the situation a “live-streamed genocide,” referring to the visible displacement, destruction, and despair that continues to be broadcast to the world in real time. These words are not used lightly—and they should not be dismissed without urgent, global reflection.
Because beyond the politics, beyond the borders and walls, these are human lives. And right now, they are running out of time, food, and hope.
