Amnesty International issued a stern condemnation of Israel on Monday, asserting that the deprivation of food and essential supplies to Palestinians in Gaza is a calculated strategy by the Israeli government. The rights organization claims that this act forms part of a broader agenda to commit genocide against the Palestinian people.

Erika Guevara Rosas, the Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns at Amnesty International, highlighted the severity of the situation. She stated, “As Israeli authorities threaten to launch a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City, the testimonies we have collected are far more than accounts of suffering, they are a searing indictment of an international system that has granted Israel a license to torment Palestinians with near-total impunity for decades.”

In a plea for urgent international intervention, Guevara Rosas called for the immediate lifting of the humanitarian blockade and a sustained ceasefire. She emphasized the necessity of allowing humanitarian organizations to freely operate in Gaza, the provision of adequate supplies to healthcare facilities, and the prevention of further mass displacement of civilians.

Amnesty International’s findings were based on interviews with 19 Palestinians living in various camps, as well as medical staff in Gaza. These interviews revealed the profound impact of Israel's policies on vulnerable groups including children, individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses, the elderly, and pregnant women.

One poignant testimony came from a four-month pregnant woman, who expressed her fears about the health of her unborn child due to her own malnutrition: “I panic just thinking about the potential impact of my own hunger on the baby’s health ... and even if the baby is born healthy, what life awaits it, amidst displacement, bombs, tents.”

Further supporting Amnesty’s claims, Save the Children reported that 40 percent of pregnant or breastfeeding women visiting their clinics in Gaza are malnourished. The World Health Organization has also noted alarming malnutrition rates among children, with nearly one in five under the age of five in Gaza City acutely malnourished.

The international community, including several UN agencies, has condemned the use of starvation as a weapon of war. Amidst reports of casualties near Israeli-imposed aid sites, there is a growing call for a neutral and UN-backed aid mechanism. The European Union and UN experts have criticized the existing aid distribution system backed by the US and Israel, calling for its dismantlement.

As the blockade continues to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza, the human rights violations under Israeli policies are reportedly escalating, leaving the Palestinian population in a dire humanitarian crisis.