Gaza: Amnesty International Claims Israel is Conducting a 'Deliberate Famine Campaign'

Gaza: Amnesty International claims that Israel is conducting a 'deliberate famine campaign' in a statement released on Monday, as the UN and numerous NGOs continue to warn of an imminent famine in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

This campaign systematically destroys the health, well-being, and social fabric of Gaza, according to the human rights organization, which conducted interviews with 19 Palestinians living in displacement camps and two medical staff treating malnourished children.

When contacted by AFP for a response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and military did not immediately comment.

According to the NGO, the testimonies it collected confirm that 'the lethal combination of hunger and disease is not an unfortunate consequence of Israeli military operations' in Gaza.

'It is the intentional result of plans and policies that Israel has designed and implemented over the past 22 months to deliberately impose living conditions on Palestinians in Gaza that are calculated to lead to their physical destruction—part of Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,' it adds.

In April, Amnesty International accused Israeli authorities of committing a 'live genocide' in Gaza, claims dismissed as 'baseless lies' by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

On August 12, Cogat, an agency of the Israeli defense ministry managing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, stated that there were 'no signs of widespread malnutrition' in the Gaza Strip, refuting figures from the Palestinian movement Hamas regarding deaths due to malnutrition.

Since the onset of the war triggered on October 7, 2023, by an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israeli territory, Israel has besieged 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza, subjecting them to a total humanitarian blockade in early March, which was later eased in May and again at the end of July in response to international criticism.

The Palestinian territory, completely reliant on humanitarian aid, faces a threat of 'widespread famine,' according to the UN, which is calling for it to be 'flooded' with aid.