Israel is facing immense global backlash after blocking all aid from entering Gaza as a method of warfare — a move reminiscent of the military offensive’s earlier stages and one that international humanitarian law unequivocally says is a war crime.
On Sunday, the Israeli government stopped the entry of all food and other humanitarian assistance into the decimated Palestinian territory after the first phase of Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas expired. Israeli officials warned Hamas of “additional consequences” if the militant group didn’t accept a last-minute ceasefire extension that deviates from the previously agreed-upon deal.
Israel’s 16-month military campaign in Gaza has “razed the territory and shredded the social and physical fabric,” Volker Türk, the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, said on Monday.
“We must above all make sure the fragile ceasefire in Gaza holds, and becomes the basis for peace. Any solution to the cycles of violence must be rooted in human rights, including the right to self-determination, the rule of law and accountability,” he continued. “All hostages must be freed; all those detained arbitrarily must be released; and humanitarian aid into Gaza must resume immediately.”
The ceasefire’s first phase took place on Jan. 19, allowing humanitarian groups to bring a significantly larger amount of aid into Gaza for Palestinians facing extreme hunger, exposure to the elements, limited health care and unsanitary conditions. Aid workers and Hamas officials claimed that Israel was not allowing the agreed-upon number of trucks in, with aid coalition Oxfam saying the amount was “a drop in the ocean.” Israeli officials have denied the accusation.
The World Food Program said the ceasefire had allowed the aid group to reach a million Palestinians with food assistance, including by restocking bakeries and providing nutrition packs to small children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Because so much territory is decimated — including agricultural land — millions of Palestinians are both homeless and jobless. The WFP began providing cash so that families could start reviving the local economy.
“The risk of starvation had been pushed back, thanks to the ceasefire and the significant influx of aid it allowed. This threat could return quickly if the agreement collapses, however,” the WFP said on Friday. Two days later, the agency said it is “urgently seeking clarification from Israeli authorities” on the new blockage of aid.
Hamas has called to negotiate the deal’s second phase, which was supposed to start a month ago and would have meant Hamas releasing the surviving hostages it kidnapped during its deadly October 2023 attack in return for Israeli troops’ withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire.
Soon after the first phase’s expiration, however, Israel said it supported a new proposal by the United States that would extend the ceasefire through Ramadan — which began over the weekend — and Passover, which ends on April 20. The proposal requires Hamas to release half the remaining hostages on the first day and the rest when mediating parties reach an agreement on a permanent ceasefire, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There will be no free lunches,” the prime minister posted on X. “If Hamas thinks that it will be possible to continue the ceasefire or benefit from the terms of the first stage, without us receiving hostages, it is sorely mistaken.”
Israel cut off aid to Palestinians in hopes it would force Hamas’ hand in agreeing to the new proposal. Key mediators Egypt and Qatar claimed Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war, and Hamas accused the occupying power of derailing the truce’s second phase. Gaza’s food prices have spiked since then, according to Doctors Without Borders.
“Israel’s decision to block aid to over 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as Ramadan begins is a reckless act of collective punishment, explicitly prohibited under international humanitarian law,” Oxfam said on Sunday. “Humanitarian aid is not a bargaining chip for applying pressure on parties, but a fundamental right of civilians experiencing urgent need in challenging and life-threatening circumstances.”
According to the International Criminal Court, intentionally depriving civilians of items necessary to their survival — including food and other relief — as a method of warfare is a starvation-related war crime under the Geneva Conventions. COGAT, the Israeli government agency that oversees aid entering Gaza, did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The intentional blockage of aid is central to both the ICC’s November arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide. Though the case — now supported by multiple countries — is ongoing, the ICJ has ordered Israel to ensure an appropriate amount of aid is delivered to Gaza.
Global rights groups like Human Rights Watch,Amnesty International and the U.N. have also concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza — stressing that Israel, as an occupying power, is required under international law to facilitate humanitarian relief regardless of a truce. Israel — and its biggest supporter, the U.S. — has repeatedly rejected the claim.
“The defense of human rights requires persistent pressure. Governments are always tempted to violate human rights,” former HRW Director Kenneth Roth told “Democracy Now!”
Go Ad-Free — And Protect The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
“And our job in the human rights community is to push back, to change the cost-benefit calculus of repression.”