Israel using starvation as a weapon of war on an unprecedented scale in northern Gaza to exterminate Palestinians and commit genocide
14th October 2024- Reports now indicate that starvation as a weapon of war is being used on an institutionalised and unprecedented scale, dubbed ‘the general’s plan’, to exterminate the Palestinian people in northern Gaza.
According to iNews, the ‘general’s plan’ is reportedly named after Major-General Giora Eiland, who has been reported in Israeli press suggesting that starvation and epidemics were legitimate weapons of war. Associated Press has also reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is examining these plans.
These reports are corroborated by earlier reports from Palestinians in northern Gaza, who have been saying for several days that the degree of starvation now being implemented surpasses the previous use of starvation as a weapon of war, that has been a feature of the genocide for the past twelve months.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that no food aid at all has entered northern Gaza since 1stOctober 2024. Substantive food parcels have not entered Gaza at all. WFP have said it is unclear how long remaining food supplies in the north will last, as they have already been distributed to shelters and health facilities.
This total blockade of aid in northern Gaza compounds the current situation across Gaza. Already, aid entering Gaza was at its lowest levels in months, with only 4% of the food needed to sustain a million people reliant on WFP food.
The restriction of food aid forms one aspect of the siege campaign designed to make Gaza incompatible with the conditions of life. Footage released by Middle East Monitor show that the only remaining store of flour in northern Gaza was bombed by Israel on the 9th October 2024, further exacerbating the food crisis.
Meanwhile, Israel’s forced evacuation orders of three hospitals (Kamal Adwan Hospital, the Indonesian Hospital and Al-Adwa Hospital) will further exacerbate the impact of starvation, as Israel is destroying the healthcare infrastructure required to deal with Palestinian patients who are dying of starvation and malnutrition.
The timing of Israel’s mass displacement and siege tactics is also critical. As winter approaches, mass forcible displacement and the total blockade of aid in northern Gaza means that even most people will be without adequate shelter, fuel and food.
Under the Rome Statute, the Article 6 indicates that ‘deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; constitutes genocide. Meanwhile, Article 7(1)(b) pertains to the crime against humanity of extermination, which includes ‘inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of a population’, including ‘the deprivation of access to food and medicine.’
Palestinians in northern Gaza have also been reporting of shoot-on-sight policies. As reported by +972, Mohammed Shehab, aged 27, said ‘Quadcopter drones are hovering low over the streets, firing at anything that moves… Snipers are positioned on rooftops, targeting anyone who steps outside.’
This is a total siege against Palestinian civilians. It is collective punishment on a coordinated scale that can only be described as systematic extermination and genocide of the Palestinian people.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The ICJP is an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.
- WFP’s statement can be read here.
- iNews’ reports on ‘the general’s plan can be read here. Israeli outlet Haaretz referred to General Eiland’s ‘public comments after the war broke out in the Gaza Strip, to the effect that starvation and epidemics were legitimate means in fighting Hamas.’
- +972’s shoot-on-sight report is available here.
- For more information, photographs of the event, or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson, please contact: press@icjpalestine.com.