<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-top-anchor"></div>
<div id="gmail-toolbar" class="gmail-toolbar-container">
</div><div class="gmail-container" lang="en-US" dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-header gmail-reader-header gmail-reader-show-element">
<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/03/13/starvation-is-a-war-crime-note-from-the-israeli-genocide-against-the-palestinians/">peoplesdispatch.org</a>
<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Starvation is a war crime: Note from the Israeli genocide against the Palestinians<br></h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Vijay Prashad</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">March 13, 2024<br></div>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="gmail-content">
<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>Displaced Palestinians wait for food at Al-Shaboura camp, in Rafah. Photo: WHO via UN Photo
</p><div>
<p>Speaking in Rome, Italy, the head of the United Nations World Food Program Cindy McCain <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BMtTATfpOtb7b1IKRJ5El1n6ihbmaWDKtPPzovrt40kGENoz8YVRwmzoz8T0sK4Ztg-3D-3DPs7U_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuGUN5ShAv-2FN0kKNa7BNb5Ufkc4ECJRp8ctob58A7qUg4edSgz0GMs-2FNLfO4GB9r0HeZ-2FLDNkxkzjwhvULn-2B4dSM4-2Fs6BT0PKjGiuelRlVkitIEL6IYuFVgGitb6rVYjRnJzKMTdDFEWGkqmCW9zlDdne0jsC7gsaZukPWnUcUJEoPpFmu9YR4d6myv5mDFt38YeQUSg22rh2amNSxIXxjKA-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>,
“If we do not exponentially increase the size of aid going into the
northern areas” of Gaza, “famine is imminent. It’s imminent.” Over
30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by the genocidal Israeli
war, and the Palestinians in Gaza are on the verge of famine.
Palestine’s Permanent Observer at the United Nations Riyad Mansour <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BN1KwEmt9kNxkmKPD2GREb55M5wAZ-2Bo6LvK1m0lLmYNIEKIEHa4EFug-2Bkj-2BtvdvBVA-3D-3DTytw_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuPycXeafPLPpuag1uvNtRSyB7gUM4BJlvCW22IUr3MB-2Fk7oGAERwY4irg-2B-2FQxmN-2BWTUuTdx2APNBteXYdc2KBdpA0O8-2BSvC8480GbG8iERVPrG4Fd0p37W9yB6gKHJAKn-2BFOIRQN28pwSkEpjnGMy-2FOrBXGXysaX-2F8pYrRPqomWbGrpwQvlYPaM-2B0gam088cg4H0d6hlRMe55gkVhqPiy-2B0-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>
that over half a million people are “one step away from famine.” “What
it means for mothers and fathers to hear their babies and children cry
of hunger day and night, no milk, no bread, nothing,” he added. Indeed,
babies and children already have begun to die due to the famine-like
conditions in Gaza. With Ramadan already begun, the situation is not
only physically acute, but also mentally torturous.</p>
<p>There are currently 2,000 medical workers who are trying their best
to operate basic medical care in northern Gaza. They are working without
access to any hospital facilities and often with no power or water,
including very limited supplies of medicines. Now, the Palestinian
Ministry of Health in Gaza has said that these workers are themselves in
a dire situation. The staff, <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BGHwtanrQfBUGzUkKQcayXE43cAEgurecn8td-2FvRXXP9zfQhk00jsu-2B67TdxKSnJrWdZkEzsR1biJSHHKKLEOGYr4jkfqkd-2BVjOORnVQcF92beY2KcultonF6NLC7xR-2FFTgE8VbQFRxhpj3jxSV0eW8-3DTCxv_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuAsi34-2BqsVJtqqRfLh7OFJ33sVD1kj1F7hRPMROogcS6-2F773b1-2FYyPP55RQ8mC9rhVvxb4ed3sK9APRMN83jGiJJHCZ9mzeisKhgD7KOeN5N5r54Fq1-2BQIF0Jlhuymb8PxWGtl3jT68FE8Hris2nwx-2FCupJvGrq6LB-2F-2FSFFLTG8q3ahr19QwO64Fq7dfKsYDTj4RF9AA-2FXnjVtybtxNingw-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>
the Ministry, “will start Ramadan without Suhoor or Iftar meals.”
“Doctors will die. The nurses there will die. And the world will witness
the largest number of victims of hunger in the coming days,” said
Ashraf al-Qudra, the ministry’s spokesperson.</p>
<h3><strong>War crime</strong></h3>
<p>In June 1977, at a conference on humanitarian law in armed conflict,
the member states of the United Nations extended the Geneva Conventions
(1949) to add Protocol II. Article 14 of that protocol <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BDkt2q3uRNpegaSG-2BLSjD-2FT6VN2mjjLJIPFq6HfeMHUEKQTotUcrkSN2IMAE4xG9DV2-2FWlPdFgFIW9d39BWW-2FbQ46OTbNinkRyAFR3Ycj9Lr-2Flnde-2FSdKWTrBNUf-2BXutCqrdvgctmbO8-2BofNTVtETbVwAzQhHC-2B6cPk2nvZgdldyMrWs_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuF4JF6lC8xsFJyPOohvqcdbdNDEDd5Ef2O10RdLQ5F2eN0aZMJMP2az-2BjTjWItof8EADMQIn8xgIfumBMO3BFVCETNPT3cY36NV222Yux1qST9cEtNN3kuGdhghghyrtQPUdY8JPhGi5o-2BMSJGSI-2BjlBRLJxQJLgoP4bF4X23iHG8xkiUM0GJDs5S8E2Z50Mbv5prUg0RdMsSNq7eFBa4fI-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a>
that “[s]tarvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited.”
The belligerent power is “prohibited to attack, destroy, remove, or
render useless” any “objects indispensable to the survival of the
civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the
production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations
and supplies and irrigation works.” Two decades later, when the UN
member states wrote up the <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BHnabKY-2FZumkvZ-2FloB-2FItA4dnZHnMa5F4Vr5ZAX-2F0R58z9sUT9NZcf5tiXHw1KFL6Q-3D-3DHvu__r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuJhnnKHxDiZRTarj1hfJ9q31YZdtFLp6XyPP-2Bi0TKfaroRcnWFGLzx9-2BKar79UmDJakrCQQjCSJJLNx1y28YzQEh5wgBrDKbNpI5JvaQu7bo-2FqWPRteX98vGFXG50FIvPJ6-2F2MrOoFUS4GsH9-2BtnM97BYF1HXB0m-2FItqtWXv6tSwJrZY80Ssa3lAo0QRpmGoxACS4xdW9EuLKA4rGsqtGrQ-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rome Statute</a>
(1998), they added in a section on starvation under the heading of war
crimes (Article 8); “intentionally using starvation of civilians as a
method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their
survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies” is a war crime.
The Rome Statute is the treaty that formed the International Criminal
Court (ICC), which has thus far remained <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BHnabKY-2FZumkvZ-2FloB-2FItA6WvI083MXp-2BlVjl4nfMiQMcGLi_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuC0AXL62JWlnah2SrkWMaSi3bqBa5q3E3B75vkKtDhAJp7f3bUVdZ9f4SKU-2B24-2FWcFuOJhf-2BXBDC3IG4H0zDw2OwSIgFDR6HfO2dHBqyQumP2lPr8EyVPoOYlCPe44uyVDNfSlgMvy4Zv4OV-2FJDq8yyS4xK4INv7KVpkDmx-2Fnc7MYvZqHeyrriWf-2BfxPN8jOIAepsOlupSf-2FSwx8kZHwzqo-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">silent</a> on its obligations to act on its own founding document.</p>
<p>On February 29th, trucks with humanitarian aid came into the northern
part of Gaza. When desperate people rushed to these trucks, Israeli
soldiers fired on them and killed at least 118 unarmed civilians. This
is now known as the Flour Massacre. In its aftermath, 10 UN experts
released a strong <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BDkt2q3uRNpegaSG-2BLSjD-2FTEptYOJ1tW5QoubuAyF2loYTZusHv-2BKlaJfFXill-2BTS832aEVcnLE9ZYETIFmP4oraf2E2d2iSSB2o-2Fy-2BxuTmY0sRZJgLR4iGqSUQCkr5cSEv6-2F1wn-2FyieSBcJWPS9OGH7j6E-2Bw8610N6Xti2fz1svd4iA_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuJUBUA6w-2Bi61QDtQweRXiowzBGvi-2BCcjLA-2BuVfJfBAqLOmsXw7otpITOSuWdEeRsbq4Foc7C-2FfcoY1gLDcIHZ8j6ATJEvNzw6eW20IkYk03P5Qhq02uGA8kySHk5j1VdN-2BW1Irt3s-2Br43K3d5oVbnsjDju3coHJeMmyETpVV0UPjaQ9g4KUHgjMHKABRkytz-2Boa6if9JRIIgvqUA6MQcyIU-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>,
which noted, “Israel has been intentionally starving the Palestinian
people in Gaza since 8 October. Now it is targeting civilians seeking
humanitarian aid and humanitarian convoys.” The UN special rapporteur
for food, Michael Fakhri, who signed that statement, later expanded this
accusation against Israel. “Israel,” he <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BMtTATfpOtb7b1IKRJ5El1n6ihbmaWDKtPPzovrt40kGkM3RBPwdenI8lG9vzktySQ-3D-3DZaYb_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuBNYzwgQbjZB-2B8jrcMb4t0omQkknSUkFqXz0c0vDYPbWq-2Fwq3HL8tGPU9pb2kShOUcvILEGEXJQBS4JhgZ1-2FVol7-2BTI3lkWQ9524k9nYOUNPM9jCGUk-2BnxIdQk-2FnwQhX7kiogRHpYEC7ybDCULAMQnXSftUVuzuwiaDcZc3M0N-2FLvjx-2FqAy5a2QIXP7K3zVbarH1X-2Bp3lkmFHvFXgWeNoIs-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a>
the UN Human Rights Council, “has mounted a starvation campaign against
the Palestinian people in Gaza.” These statements are very pointed.
Words such as “intentionally” and phrases such as “starvation campaign”
directly accuse Israel of war crimes based on Protocol II and the Rome
Statute.</p>
<p>Fakhri focused on Gaza’s fishing industry, which had provided
important food security for the 2.3 million Palestinians who live there.
“Israeli forces,” he <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BMtTATfpOtb7b1IKRJ5El1n6ihbmaWDKtPPzovrt40kGkM3RBPwdenI8lG9vzktySQ-3D-3DW4FM_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuL7wKJkHKHEmdEG954SlMhuj3X7I5Ofmvs-2FucOFE85Cpw-2Fe3DZ6yW9bOEr7MQ3lxmUL-2Fi-2FFOYMiWSnqHpp2hdTwTF6jZM9X7WHwafrVicUR5MCPF1qRWXkxzdpYoQ455jnUgfiOFMvVjyi4jtNcJI3QoHMFqt7amz-2Fv-2FQhryp-2FupybZ0GpBOGutjsU8EUiTf-2BYieliiYUNxQ1fG71HtxSGY-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>,
have “decimated the Port of Gaza, destroying every single fishing boat
and shack. In Rafah, only two out of 40 boats are left. In Khan Younis,
Israel destroyed approximately 75 small-scale fishing vessels.” This
destruction, Fakhri said, has pushed Gaza “into hunger and starvation.”
“In fact,” he added, “Israel has been strangling Gaza for 17 years
through a blockade, which included denying and restricting small-scale
fishers access to their territorial waters.”</p>
<p>At the UN General Assembly, Palestine’s Riyad Mansour <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BN1KwEmt9kNxkmKPD2GREb55M5wAZ-2Bo6LvK1m0lLmYNIEKIEHa4EFug-2Bkj-2BtvdvBVA-3D-3DFS6W_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuPpEfjqGojKeOSJ8igJqMugk2J6zshTQ0X36jA1zmCAaGBuaLU1Jn8w-2FkXWo9MtqhqN8Apa2li3FpOicFji-2F1V9WzdmXXBBZUpmihkm3-2BbnXhRj7KJuxnCwbZUch3q6gFAKRpeuqZplXRUJeaG6UhLmfVJgaTaTG4lZazvl-2FTCTy4ClLbYOKwmCXpKh0loEHC8SPt6Ta1NqISdCu-2FqfWoFU-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>
that Israel has bombed “every bakery and farm, destroying livestock and
all means of food production.” In the first month of the bombardment,
Israel bombed the major bakeries of Gaza City. In November 2023,
Abdelnasser al-Jarmi of the Bakery Owners Association in the Gaza Strip <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BEL51FWnLnQoKfoBXs4uCcFownnuxGlFSN3e3KtIW4-2FzlSg9LptXEgSuuD1OYAY-2FdrUbK8K16-2B-2FnH2YxDmzs8J6kATPESfqi5oSmx9s21BTDAmDN_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuBOb0uVkF782AiB3eKs4WPtVMphVIKKGdUhO8MYWbQfDpPm9j-2Br5lAmnMORFe7TNjBOo-2F0s0qZm-2B0Iw2Qz5j9-2ByVSXbWEwqmlF3n-2B-2Buor7cp4HOouVdSj3bImY96MSyAQp4SyEZTKMyOMNsivmlbUreQ6ekoyFbMz2x7XHUa3nCGFm1XkQXobzAzbFNfcKvd5Om-2B5Aze4-2BibktfZmg62fy0-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>
that bakeries have not been able to function for lack of fuel and
flour. As a consequence of the absence of bread, families have begun to
gather a weed called <em>khubaiza</em> (or <em>Malva parviflora</em>) and to boil this as the main meal. “We are dying for a piece of bread,” <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BOOIkRgXUsaVNJ00-2Bir48fLBgvdEbz9lnLXb-2Bt8mY1SL-2BgBQpFz1Na5zjrJCjd75W-2BEG5751jM9cQSFacy1vkh6QjvRsNwh1HrS-2FqaxgZor84mSy9aLNAUoK9okoZ9y5cFlDbt3yTSLJq8b4RpJPTIAwLos1LYW9NR5CaCQDYsUswnuaIhcBWFZWFIt0eHXbUw-3D-3DFpxN_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuJNmRkjpqRVvxiWgzS9Au2Q6JfxW0q5MeIGmRqRfLmsh7z31hPGp5NEGhIslj5MFVkshVwin-2FHh831xaRNsI4hYA-2FCZocyAJ0H12daLCZFFd6xNW78amcswbXkDODeFpSeBvM0OH2MITiPF7xMBFYQjax4AycfmqcGHos8Bc3f4Ed1d0JApVW-2BLoi7nUQ4UbVtvxo-2BnqUdwqVKNhEOQaehY-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Fatima Shaheen as she built a meal for her two sons and their children in northern Gaza.</p>
<h3><strong>Crossings</strong></h3>
<p>Israel has refused to fully open the crossings into Gaza at Beit
Hanoun and Karem Abu Salem as well as refused to allow complete opening
of the Rafah crossing the links Gaza to Egypt. Since these land
crossings are closed, and since Israel destroyed the Yasser Arafat
International Airport in 2001, there are no easy solutions to bring food
aid into Gaza. Delivery of food and supplies through the air is not
sufficient—indeed it is a drop in the ocean (which is where some of the
aid packages landed). There is now talk of building <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BMtTATfpOtb7b1IKRJ5El1n6ihbmaWDKtPPzovrt40kGSIY9j89PKOFjmSy8YfPcfg-3D-3D3LL8_r0aPuFam2OijKUCcDq4dNDjTJmePosxNM8FvaCY4l46l9mV64uq0pfn9J2QgxAbqQRR3yDq1O-2BvH2FLd-2FSSMUV-2BjrMhbP0R2EBw0vVT7HcvOXtm6OPbMgPg3RE7bwF5EBlCYg9FIHVtDEalzEWx3pZTro58NMNM93o9qEXd3lmYL2OiK-2FCmQHvJlJjWtF0fF9v8Q-2B6agyuZZIxxmckt1mLP9y-2Bp-2Ff6vcfeQN-2BFgE4xhy0DvtfNoMx5NNVpjODmtcr-2B9nAmMblNutT-2FGutPFU8LIJK6NFllj5okVf6AoY3Beyq2kRjF86thuRbxNp4TIEaOWGOCvtxqxNo47gPWDntWEGOjvCIAv43pH6gugq9KgbZ9K-2BkIiXaBOC1B7UmtKlsAJA8vgXm-2FXp807sFDvva5finEWG094-2B2M7UrKxFCJXiaNT-2By1UxOQH3XarP4EwiO341aZGeuWmMzhCmPaoteiKWJKij1SBLRQfWJ5fwaI49oGE0VMcdUEp5KytWhaMWJmJPQYhOQxbHOMwR4aZ4ukn2Ac2h5yJfbtcR-2B0fAjPRuOp2DJlYERiKukqaRhNtvB6d6pev-2Fk74AYT-2BFGmA3Jp0pEolFO9T7bcYS-2Fp03jrgtXdAdJf8l9Mu4xRtIjki74TjUvw13h6vkMb3KI3LsuHaI99HAf8s-2B3uHp-2BfBnJt3ZIgCp6-2Fp2V7drWYE6a0Jp-2FOqJdImRkTQgxfc5u8FDUwvuZwbRvKQEAGaelE-2FTIFcnxeuvzfv-2FU1nydoEq-2F8UCa2eU8FFUutVmtTa9gXpb-2B8DlRfUMm0tIDApZ-2FyI3UjwPQRZWwIayKCY6-2FZU1z42Qajq-2Fk0PO6l1VDFlf8AwZNFh4E1hJKc5RB8XV8hj1JIU-3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">maritime corridors</a>,
but since Israel has bombed the Port of Gaza this is not an easy
option. That the US has said that it would build a temporary pier off
the coast of Gaza’s southern half is ridiculous. It would be so much
easier to open the Rafah crossing to allow at least 500 trucks a day
into Gaza. But Israel will not permit this option.</p>
<p>International law is clear as daylight on the point of starvation as a
war crime. There are no loopholes in Protocol II (1977) or in the Rome
Statute (1998). Friends in Gaza are finding this Ramadan month to be
more difficult than any previously. Starvation is their general
condition. But, unlike with other Ramadans, there is no early morning
meal (Suhoor) and no late-night meal (Iftar). There is only the
perennial noise of Israeli fighter jets mirrored by the groans of hunger
in their bellies.</p>
<p><em>This article was produced by <a href="https://globetrotter.media/">Globetrotter</a>.</em></p>
<p><em><strong>Vijay Prashad</strong> is an Indian historian, editor,
and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at
Globetrotter. He is an editor of LeftWord Books and the director of
Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He has written more than
20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His
latest books are Struggle Makes Us Human: Learning from Movements for
Socialism and (with Noam Chomsky) The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya,
Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power.</em></p>
</div></div></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div></div>
</div>
</div>