Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of Using Starvation as a Weapon

At least 32 people, including 28 children, have succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, head of the pediatrics unit at a northern hospital, reported that 26 children died at his facility alone from starvation-related complications. Many of the victims were infants under five months old, including one child who died just two days after birth because his mother could not produce milk.

Omar Shakir, HRW’s Israel and Palestine director, urged the international community to move beyond symbolic gestures. He argued that Israel's decision to permit limited aid increases proves that external pressure is effective, and called for allies like the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany to suspend arms transfers to force a full-throttle humanitarian response. Despite mounting evidence of a catastrophic toll—with nearly 26,000 children killed or wounded since the war began—the Biden administration maintains that it has not yet concluded Israel is violating international humanitarian law.