Israel has consistently denied that it has used starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
These denials date back to Israel’s submission to the International Court of Justice in response to South Africa’s genocide case at the Hague in January 2024. Its lawyers asserted that “Israel has publicly stated repeatedly that there is no limit on the amount of food, water, shelter or medical supplies that can be brought into Gaza”.
From the start, these protestations have been challenged by human rights organisations.
Amnesty International reported that “at no point” between October 2023 and early July 2024 did Israeli authorities allow “adequate aid and other essential life-saving supplies” to be provided.
After Israel imposed a total blockade spanning March to mid-May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it generated “one of the world’s worst hunger crises”, with 57 children reportedly dying of malnutrition - and noted that “this number is likely an underestimate”.
