Human rights organizations and international legal experts have called for sanctions against Israel for using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, with global voices demanding diplomatic and economic pressure against what has been described as deliberate policies of collective punishment. As the humanitarian situation worsens in this Palestinian enclave, global voices have intensified calls for urgent sanctions to stop this campaign of collective punishment by Israel.
This appeal follows mounting reports of extreme food scarcity among Palestinians, with over two million Palestinians enduring conditions designated “crisis” or “catastrophic” by international monitors. A joint statement issued this week by over 20 humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International and Save the Children declared that Israel’s ongoing blockade combined with targeting aid convoys and agricultural infrastructure amounts to an enforced campaign of starvation.
“Starvation of civilians is not simply an unfortunate consequence of warfare; rather it has become a method of war,” according to Sarah Abed from the International Federation for Justice in Conflict. This breach of international humanitarian law warrants targeted sanctions and legal accountability measures.
UN rapporteurs have also issued calls for sanctions, as diplomatic condemnation no longer suffices against deliberate deprivation. UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri recently stated in his address to Congress: “What we are seeing in Gaza today is not caused by natural disaster or lack of aid, it is manmade, weaponized and controlled by man himself – thus compelling the international community to intervene with measures such as sanctions.”
Israel has rejected these accusations as “baseless and politically motivated”, asserting that humanitarian aid enters Gaza while Hamas diverts or exploits much of it. Israeli officials claim these measures are taken due to persistent security threats and hostages taken during an October 2023 Hamas militant attack, along with security threats emanating from hostage-taking incidents by militants of Hamas militant groups.
Recent investigations by global watchdogs have documented Israeli strikes on aid distribution sites, warehouses and bakeries – further undermining access to food – while IPC has warned of impending famine conditions if aid doesn’t reach northern Gaza within weeks.
Activism and legal scholars in Western governments–specifically the European Union and United States–are pressing for targeted sanctions to be placed against Israeli political and military officials who have planned and implemented policies which restrict humanitarian access.
Protests have broken out across major cities like London, Paris and Cape Town with protesters demanding an arms embargo, asset freezes and travel bans as the death toll from hunger-related causes continues to increase daily. Pressure on international leaders to act decisively continues mounting as hunger-related deaths rise daily.
“Words alone are no longer sufficient,” stated Philippe Maret, director of Human Rights Europe. “Sanctions are the only peaceful tools powerful enough to end starvation policies before they turn into irreparable atrocities.”
As the Gaza crisis deepens, all eyes are watching to see whether or not the international community will decide to act or remain passive – or whether Gaza will remain a symbol of unchecked suffering in modern society.