UN Investigator Claims Israel Runs ‘Starvation Campaign’ in Gaza, Denied by Netanyahu

The United Nations’ independent investigator on the right to food has accused Israel of executing a “starvation campaign” against Palestinians during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This assertion has been firmly rejected by Israeli officials.

In a report released this week, Michael Fakhri, the U.N. investigator, indicated that the alleged campaign began just two days following the surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals. In response, Israel’s military operations reportedly blocked food, water, fuel, and other essential supplies from entering Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled the allegations as “outrageously false,” asserting that claims about Israel’s limitations on humanitarian aid are unfounded. He emphasized, “A deliberate starvation policy? You can say anything — it doesn’t make it true,” during a press conference held on Wednesday.

Under increasing pressure from the international community, particularly from the United States, Netanyahu’s government has gradually opened several border crossings for the controlled delivery of humanitarian supplies. Fakhri noted that the limited aid initially filtered primarily to the southern and central regions of Gaza, rather than the north, where Israel had directed Palestinians to evacuate.

Michael Fakhri, a law professor at the University of Oregon, was appointed as the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food in 2020 by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council. He highlighted the dire food situation in Gaza, stating, “By December, Palestinians in Gaza made up 80% of the people in the world experiencing famine or catastrophic hunger.”

According to Fakhri, such rapid and comprehensive hunger among the population is unprecedented in post-war history, particularly affecting the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza. His latest report, which was circulated to the U.N. General Assembly, outlines these grievances.

Fakhri’s claims extend back 76 years to the establishment of Israel, accusing the state of a long history of displacing Palestinians. He asserted that Israel has employed a wide array of hunger and starvation tactics against Palestinians, perfecting these methods to enhance control and suffering through food systems.

In the wake of the warfare in Gaza, Fakhri reported firsthand accounts of the destruction of the local food system, including agricultural land and fishing resources. This devastation has been corroborated and recognized by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and other entities.

He conveyed that Israel has strategically manipulated humanitarian aid for political and military ends, thereby harming and killing the Palestinian populace in Gaza.

Despite these allegations, Israel asserts that it has lifted restrictions on the quantity of aid trucks permitted into Gaza. At a press conference, Netanyahu referred to data from COGAT, the military unit managing aid transport into Gaza, which reported that 700,000 tons of food have been allowed entry since the conflict’s escalation 11 months ago.

Notably, nearly half of this food aid in recent times has been sourced by the private sector for sale in Gaza’s local markets. However, many Gazans continue to report challenges in affording sufficient food for their households.

Israel currently permits aid trucks through two minor crossings in the north and one major crossing located in the south, known as Kerem Shalom. However, due to Israel’s military actions in the southern city of Rafah since May, U.N. organizations and other aid agencies have encountered significant challenges in accessing the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom to facilitate free distribution of aid, citing security risks as a major deterrent.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “beyond catastrophic,” citing that over 1 million Palestinians did not receive any food rations in August. He also mentioned a 35% decrease in the number of individuals receiving daily cooked meals.

The reduction in meal availability has been partially attributed to multiple evacuation orders from Israeli security that forced around 70 of 130 food kitchens to cease operations or shift locations. Additionally, U.N. humanitarian partners are struggling with insufficient food supplies for the second consecutive month in central and southern Gaza.

Dujarric linked the critical shortages of essential supplies in Gaza to ongoing hostilities, insecurity, damaged infrastructure, and limitations imposed by Israeli access policies.