Time to Stop Israel Blockade of Gaza and End Impunity
More than 20 months into the ongoing genocide committed by Israel, the death toll in Gaza continuously reaches outrageous proportions. Some estimations put the figure at 61,000 people killed and the number of unreported killings is very likely to be much higher. As much as 10 percent of Gaza’s population has been either killed, injured, missing, or detained.
Intentional starvation of Gaza population
While famine has not officially been declared yet, people are being deliberately starved. The latest IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) figures show 100 percent of the population is experiencing a high level of acute food insecurity (Emergency-IPC Phase 4) – and almost half a million people facing the highest (i.e. catastrophic) level of food insecurity (IPC Phase 5). As explained in our briefing, Beyond Numbers: Rethinking Food Security Monitoring, mainstream technical monitoring tools are often unable to portray a comprehensive picture of the extent and nature of systemic human rights violations and the actual conditions on ground are often much worse.
The ongoing brutal Israeli occupation of Palestine, the blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2005, and repeated violations of Palestinian human rights – including their right to self-determination and control over food systems – have made it virtually impossible for Palestinians to enjoy their human right to food and achieve food sovereignty. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 500 food aid trucks are needed daily to meet the population’s basic needs. However, as of 21 May, only 1 percent of those trucks were allowed to enter Gaza.
Food, or the lack of it, has been deliberately used as a weapon by Israel since the start of the genocide. Furthermore, the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been strongly criticized for being inhumane and illegitimate, bypassing the work of UN agencies and violating humanitarian principles. GHF is possibly making itself complicit in Israel’s war crimes, according to the US Center for Constitutional Rights. The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food has denounced Israel’s use of aid “as bait to corral people”. GHF should no longer operate in Gaza and aid should be distributed via UNWRA.
As of 17 June, more than 300 Palestinians have been reportedly killed while attempting to receive food aid since the launch of the recent food distribution system and hundreds more injured.
Civil society campaigns
States are obligated to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza and to help end the unlawful blockade. According to the International Court of Justice, they must also avoid any support to Israel that could contribute to genocide. Nonetheless, countries such as Germany, France, and the U.S. continue to supply arms.
In the face of deafening silence and the complicity of many powerful states, FIAN welcomes the diverse people`s actions and campaigns challenging the illegal and unlawful occupation, crimes and genocide by Israel and seeking to uphold human rights and contribute to Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
These initiatives include the land convoy to Gaza that started in Tunisia, challenging Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza. The convoy gathers some 7,000 activists and 300 vehicles, including La Via Campesina member Association of the Million Rural Women and Landless (MRWL) which plays a key organizational role.
The Freedom Flotilla, with 12 people aboard the Madleen – including activist Greta Thunberg and MEP Rima Hassan – sought to expose Israel’s illegal sea blockade of Gaza. Unlike many states, it stood for humanity and the rule of law. The Madleen, operating lawfully, was illegally intercepted by the Israeli army in international waters. On June 16, the final detainees were released after being forced to sign false confessions of illegal entry.
We also welcome the Diplomatic Humanitarian Convoy, an international effort led by diplomats and officials to break the Gaza aid blockade and restore humanitarian access through the Rafah Crossing. Backed by hundreds of human rights organizations, the convoy aims to deliver emergency aid and uphold legal protections under international law.
Finally –– we recognize the efforts of The Hague Group, initiated in 2025 by eight Latin American, African and Asian states. Co-chaired by Colombia and South Africa, its members are committed to promote coordinated legal and diplomatic measures in defense of international law and solidarity with the people of Palestine. It will convene an urgent ministerial meeting in Bogotá in July, “to enforce international law to end genocide, ensure justice, accountability”. Other states should join this initiative anchored in international law. Providing food aid – as Rwanda and Brazil are seeking to do – should be their top priority.
The international community must step in and stop the genocide, stop the weaponization of food and the starvation and killing of the people of Gaza, place sanctions on Israel, stop arm deliveries, and ensure accountability and justice for Palestinian lives.
For more information please contact Ana María Suárez Franco: Suarez-Franco@fian.org
