LONDON, May 2, 2025 (WAFA) – Amnesty International stated on Friday that the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza constituted a genocidal act and an unlawful collective punishment.
“Israel must immediately end its devastating siege on the occupied Gaza Strip which constitutes a genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare,” Amnesty International said in a press release.
“By blocking the entry of supplies critical for the survival of the population, Israel continues its policy of deliberately imposing conditions of life on Palestinians in Gaza calculated to bring about their physical destruction; this constitutes an act of genocide,” it added.
The human rights organization collected testimonies throughout April which “reveal the catastrophic human cost of Israel’s two-month long total siege, where starvation and denial of life-saving essentials are being used as weapons of war in flagrant violation of international law.”
The testimonies “paint a grim picture of a population teetering on the brink of survival” as “in addition to blocking entry of all aid, Israel’s decision to cut power to Gaza’s main desalination plant on 9 March has further crippled access to clean water.”
“Expansive "evacuation” orders and no-go zones now engulf nearly 70% of the Gaza Strip, forcing people to abandon what is left of the scarce sources of sustenance and access to livelihoods for farmers and fishermen,” the organization said.
“The consequences are irreversible damage to the Palestinian population. Basic food items -including fish and meat- have become prohibitively expensive, pushing countless families into hunger.”
“The severe food scarcity is being exploited and exacerbated by individuals hoarding or looting supplies, selling them at extortionate prices. Amidst a severe cash liquidity crisis, commissions to withdraw money may reach 30%. Most Palestinians in Gaza now can only rely on overcrowded community kitchens, where displaced people endure hours-long waits for minimal sustenance, often just a single meal per day.”
Elaborating on the severe cash liquidity crisis, Amnesty International said: “The crisis has had a particularly devastating impact on infants and breastfeeding and pregnant mothers. According to OCHA, 92% of infants aged 6-23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are not meeting their nutrient requirements.”
Highlighting the issue of water scarcity, Amnesty International said: “Water scarcity, an endemic problem in Gaza due to Israel’s 17 year-long blockade, has now become critical, with some resorting to drinking seawater. Damaged infrastructure and fuel shortages have severely limited access to clean water. Residents in Beit Lahia said they had no water for domestic use for five consecutive days.”
“The lack of cooking gas and the scarcity and unaffordability of wood are forcing people to burn hazardous materials like waste and nylon for cooking and heating, leading to widespread respiratory illnesses, particularly among women, who often are the ones making fire for cooking.”
“Gaza’s healthcare system has largely collapsed under Israel’s military attacks and denial of humanitarian aid access. Doctors at the Al-Rantissi pediatric hospital in Gaza City, which only managed to reopen during the truce, report critical shortages of essential medical supplies and equipment.”
The organization stressed its opposition to “any attempts to weaponise aid, use it for forced displacement, or create discriminatory aid distribution zones, all of which would violate international law.”
Remarking on the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) hearings into Israel's humanitarian obligations in occupied Palestine and attacks on UN agencies, Amnesty International reiterated “the critical urgency of allowing UNRWA, other UN agencies and humanitarian organisations, to carry out their life-saving work across the OPT without obstructions.”
It emphasized that “Israel’s refusal to allow aid into Gaza also flouts repeated ICJ orders to ensure Palestinians have access to sufficient humanitarian assistance and basic services.”
“The extent of human suffering in Gaza for the past 19 months has been unimaginable, and it is a direct consequence of Israel’s ongoing genocide. Apart from a brief respite during the temporary truce, Israel has relentlessly and mercilessly turned Gaza into an inferno of death and destruction,” Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns, said.
“For the past two months, Israel has completely cut off the supply of humanitarian aid and other items indispensable to the survival of civilians in a clear and calculated effort to collectively punish over two million civilians and to make Gaza unliveable,” she said and described this as a “genocide in action”.
She urged the international community not to “continue to stand by as Israel perpetrates these atrocities with impunity.”
“Governments, especially Israel’s allies, must act now and take concrete measures to pressure Israel into immediately lifting its total siege and allowing the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid and its safe distribution across all of Gaza. A sustained ceasefire is essential to ensure that can happen.”
She slammed as deplorable “Governments contemptible failure to live up to their legal responsibilities to prevent and bring an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, as well as their obligation to ensure respect for international humanitarian law throughout the OPT”.
“Decades of inaction helped establish pervasive impunity for Israel’s persistent violations and it is now exacting an unprecedent toll of death, destruction and suffering on Palestinians.”
She also urged governments to “take action to render Israel’s violations against Palestinians politically, diplomatically and economically unsustainable”, calling for an immediate end to the siege on Gaza.
As part of their obligations, governments are required to “impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and fully support and cooperate with the International Criminal Court,” she concluded.
K.F.
