Israel's Starvation Policies in Gaza and the Question of Genocidal Intent

## TL;DR

Article Focus: Jessica Whyte examines Israel's reported use of starvation against Palestinians in Gaza as a potential tool of genocide and how Israel frames it under international humanitarian law (IHL).
Flour Massacre Example: On 29 February 2024, Israeli forces reportedly fired on civilians seeking aid trucks near Al-Rashid Street, killing at least 118 people amid widespread hunger.
Legal Argument: Israel portrays civilian suffering as a "tragic" byproduct of lawful military action against Hamas, drawing on U.S. precedents that weaken prohibitions on starving civilians in war.

The story at a glance

Jessica Whyte, a philosopher at the University of New South Wales, analyzes Israel's policies in Gaza after the October 2023 Hamas attacks. The article argues that Israel has weaponized starvation through aid restrictions, siege tactics, and military actions, while defending these as compliant with IHL. It situates this in the context of South Africa's December 2023 ICJ case under the Genocide Convention, which highlights deliberate infliction of life-destroying conditions. The piece critiques how IHL can enable rather than restrain such violence, linking it to colonial histories and U.S. practices.

Key points

South Africa's ICJ application claims Israel is "deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their destruction" by depriving food and water.
Reports document acute food insecurity across Gaza's population, with famine imminent in the north by March 2024 according to IPC and U.S. officials.
The "flour massacre" on 29 February 2024 saw Israeli troops open fire on starving civilians approaching aid trucks, resulting in at least 118 deaths.
Israeli officials and responses emphasize adherence to IHL, framing deaths as incidental to targeting combatants and denying genocidal intent.
The article traces U.S. historical use of starvation tactics in wars and efforts to dilute legal bans on civilian starvation.
Scholarly views challenge IHL as a neutral protector, arguing it reproduces imperial domination and allows permissive interpretations of military necessity.
Israel has reportedly blocked or undermined humanitarian responses in multiple documented ways, per Oxfam and other monitors.

Details and context

Whyte draws on ICJ filings, NGO reports (including Euro-Med and Oxfam), UN statements, and statements from Israeli figures like Giora Eiland, who described starvation and epidemics as means to victory while denying an intent to starve. The article notes Israel's long-standing calorie-counting approach in Gaza and recent escalations post-7 October. It contrasts Israel's IHL defense with critics who see predictable consequences as evidence of intent. Background includes the 17-year blockade and post-7 October restrictions on aid, fuel, and supplies, amid warnings of unprecedented suffering.

The piece is part of a Journal of Genocide Research forum on Israel-Palestine atrocity crimes. It engages debates on whether famine studies in genocide scholarship are underdeveloped and how humanitarian language can mask violence.

Key quotes

From the abstract: Israel argues its actions are in accordance with IHL and that any civilian deaths were the “tragic” result of war.
On U.S. influence: Central to this effort has been the attempt to construe the starvation of civilians during war as the tragic incidental cost of necessary military action against combatants.

Why it matters

The analysis highlights how interpretations of IHL can shield policies causing mass civilian harm from stronger legal accountability under genocide law. For decision-makers and observers, it underscores challenges in proving specific intent amid claims of military necessity, affecting aid delivery, ceasefires, and international responses. Watch ICJ proceedings and enforcement of existing provisional measures on humanitarian access, as outcomes remain contested.

FAQ

Q: What specific event does the article highlight to illustrate starvation tactics?

A: The article details the 29 February 2024 incident near Al-Rashid Street in Gaza, where Israeli forces fired on civilians seeking humanitarian aid trucks, killing at least 118 amid reports of widespread hunger.

Q: How does the article describe Israel's legal defense?

A: Israel maintains its conduct complies with international humanitarian law, portraying civilian suffering and deaths as the tragic incidental costs of lawful military operations against Hamas rather than intentional targeting.

Q: What historical parallel does Whyte draw regarding starvation in war?

A: The article links Israel's approach to the United States' long history of employing starvation as a weapon of war while working to weaken international legal prohibitions on starving civilians.

Q: What role does the ICJ case play in the analysis?

A: South Africa's December 2023 ICJ proceedings under the Genocide Convention form a central reference, with claims of deliberate deprivation of food and water as conditions calculated to destroy the group in part.