Why legal experts say that starvation in Gaza is a war crime

Israel has been accused of the crime of starving civilians since the beginning of its war on Gaza in October 2023.

In late July, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world's leading hunger monitoring system, said that the "worst-case scenario of famine" is unfolding in Gaza due to the Israel-imposed famine and siege.

At the time of publication, more than 160 Palestinian children and adults in Gaza have died from starvation, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Even before the current war, which has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians and displaced almost all the 2.2m population, Israel blockaded Gaza's airspace, territorial waters and two of its three land crossings since 2007. Approximately 80 percent of the population depended on aid from the UN and international NGOs.

Israel decided who and what could enter and exit, and sought to control the amount of calories per person. As early as 2006, an adviser to then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert summed up the policy: "The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger."

The situation has worsened during the war, with restrictions and bans on the essentials to sustain life.

The policy has drawn international outrage, even amongst Israel's allies. On 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - the first for any leader of a Western ally. It was also the first time anyone had been charged for the crime of starvation.

Below, Middle East Eye explains the use of starvation in Gaza, the legal case against Israel, what the international courts are doing, and the reaction from Israel.