GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Amnesty International has accused Israel of using starvation as a deliberate weapon of genocide against civilians in the Gaza Strip.
In a new report released Thursday, the rights group said the Israeli-imposed aid distribution system is not alleviating suffering but systematically deepening it, pushing Palestinians toward collapse.
“The evidence shows that Israel is intentionally creating inhumane living conditions to inflict material destruction on Palestinians — a core component of the crime of genocide,” said Amnesty Secretary-General Agnès Callamard.
The report highlighted testimonies from doctors and residents in Gaza City and Khan Yunis describing extreme hunger, disease, and despair.
Israeli occupation forces have repeatedly obstructed humanitarian aid, and Israel’s restrictive and militarized distribution methods have led to deadly chaos at aid sites.
Callamard noted the world’s focus on recent tensions with Iran has distracted from Israel’s ongoing acts in Gaza, where “a deadly combination of hunger and disease” is being weaponized to annihilate the population.
The report documents the deaths of at least 66 children since October due to malnutrition-related causes — a number likely undercounted due to lack of access to healthcare.
Over 18,700 children have been hospitalized for severe malnutrition in 2025 alone. Medical staff described seeing widespread cases of wasting, immune collapse, and psychological trauma among children.
“Roughly 15% of children we examine show signs of moderate to severe malnutrition,” said Dr. Suzanne Ma’ruf of Friends of the Patient Hospital. “This has become catastrophic.”
Amnesty also condemned Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid, reporting that more than 850 UN trucks are stuck at the Rafah border, while fuel and cooking gas have been blocked since March. Meanwhile, the destruction of Gaza’s farmlands and economy has exacerbated famine.
In its conclusion, Amnesty International called on the international community to act immediately to stop the genocide, lift the siege, halt arms transfers to Israel, impose sanctions on Israeli officials complicit in war crimes, and support accountability at the International Criminal Court.
