MONITORING (SW) – Israel’s warfare in the Gaza Strip is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, a United Nations committee has said, accusing the country of “using starvation as a method of war”.
In a report published on Thursday, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices accused the country of “using starvation as a method of war”, resulting in “mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions” for Palestinians.
“Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life – food, water, and fuel,” it said.
“These statements along with the systematic and unlawful interference of humanitarian aid make clear Israel’s intent to instrumentalize life-saving supplies for political and military gains.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 43,736 Palestinians and wounded 103,370, the enclave’s Ministry of Health said on Thursday, reported Al Jazeera.
The latest UN report reflects that published in March by UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, who concluded that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
It covers the first nine months of Israel’s war in Gaza, which followed the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel in October 2023 in which an estimated 1,139 people were killed and more than 200 taken captive.
The report also pointed out that despite repeated UN appeals as well as binding orders from the International Court of Justice and UN Security Council Resolutions, Israel continued to inflict “collective punishment” on the Palestinian population.
By early 2024, more than 25,000 tonnes of explosives – equivalent to two nuclear bombs – had been dropped on Gaza, “causing massive destruction and the collapse of water and sanitation systems, agricultural devastation, and toxic pollution”, the report said.
