Israeli NGO: Israel is starving Gaza

Israeli NGO B’Tselem said on Monday that Israel is starving Gaza, and that around 2.2 million people are surviving in Gaza “on almost nothing, routinely going without meals”.

“The desperate search for food is relentless, and usually unsuccessful, leaving the entire population – including babies, children, pregnant or nursing women and the elderly – hungry,” the statement read.

According to the organisation, most cultivated fields have been destroyed, and accessing open areas during the war is dangerous in any case. 

Bakeries, factories and food warehouses have been bombed or shut down due to Israel shutting off all fuel and electricity to the Strip since 9 October. Stockpiles in private homes, stores and warehouses have also run out. 

B’Tselem also said that Israel was “deliberately denying the entry of enough food into Gaza to meet the population's needs,” and called for Israel to allow food into Gaza under the obligation of international humanitarian law.