Israel starving 2.2 million people in Gaza: Israeli rights group

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - An Israeli human rights group on Monday accused the government of starving more than two million people in the Gaza Strip amid its deadly military offensive on the Palestinian enclave.

"The 2.2 million people of Gaza are going hungry. This is not a byproduct of war but a direct result of Israel’s declared policy, which denies them food," B'Tselem said in a statement.

The rights group said Israeli authorities are "letting in only a fraction of the amount entering before the war, with limitations on the types of goods" instead of allowing enough food into the territory.

"Allowing food into Gaza is not an act of kindness but a positive obligation under IHL (International Humanitarian Law)," B'Tselem said. "Refusing to comply with this duty constitutes a war crime.”

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7. The Israeli blockade has left the tiny Palestinian enclave running low on food, water and medicine amid catastrophic humanitarian conditions.

At least 23,084 Palestinians have been killed and 58,926 others injured in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara