Int’l Rights Group Says Israel Uses Starvation as Weapon by Rendering Gaza Farmlands Unusable
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An international human rights organization said that Israel has rendered over 75 percent of Gaza's farmlands unusable, either by isolating them into a buffer zone or bulldozing them.
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reported on Sunday that Israeli forces aim to destroy Gaza’s food sources, including vegetables, fruits, and meat, and dismantle its local food production system.
The organization highlighted that, in addition to destroying local food production, Israel is blocking food supplies and humanitarian aid to "perpetuate famine in the Gaza Strip and use starvation as a weapon of war as part of its ongoing crime of genocide, which continues for the ninth month in a row."
Euro-Med reported that its teams have documented cases of the Israeli occupation army intentionally killing farmers working or attempting to access their lands and farms.
Moreover, Euro-Med has recorded extensive destruction of farms, greenhouses, water wells, tanks, and agricultural equipment by Israeli forces.
The organization urged the international community "to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, including essential food and non-food items, to address the territory's health and environmental disaster in an immediate, safe, and effective manner."
The report followed a statement from Gaza's media office condemning the use of starvation as a political tool by the United States and Israel amid Gaza's catastrophic humanitarian situation.
“We condemn the inhumane crime of starvation used by the occupation and the American administration in a gruesome manner to achieve political goals,” the statement said.
According to the media office, thousands of sick and wounded individuals lack access to food and medicine due to the continued closure of Gaza's crossings by Israeli forces.
"The situation in the Gaza Strip is becoming increasingly catastrophic and difficult, with the humanitarian crisis significantly worsening, especially for children, the sick, and the wounded who lack food and treatment."
Previously, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, stated that over 50,000 children in Gaza require immediate medical treatment for acute malnutrition.
