Who’s Starving the Gazan People?

September 9, 2024

by: Cheryl Hauer, BFP Writer

As voices all over the globe shout that Israel violates international law by impeding humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and more specifically, committing genocide by starvation, there are two areas that need close examination. The first is understanding what international law requires of Israel in the current situation, which helps separate propaganda from truth. The second is reviewing the latest statistics on what Israel is actually doing, which brings facts to bear on these very contentious issues.

In this article, I frequently reference a document called the Law of War Manual. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) compiled this manual to assist DoD personnel—including legal practitioners and other military and civilian personnel as well as commanders in the field—to understand and apply international laws of armed conflict and humanitarian aid in conflict situations. It was put together with input from other nations in an effort to correctly interpret international law while maintaining consistent compliance with legitimate efforts to weaken an enemy while protecting non-combatants. Although the manual does not actually apply to Israeli military operations, its provisions shed significant light on how international laws of armed conflict apply to the situation in Gaza. A copy is available on the DoD website.

It is also necessary to examine the various accusations that are being leveled against Israel. There are many that seemingly apply to various actions or non-actions taken by the Jewish state, but in the final analysis, they are all part of one vile propaganda campaign to convince the world that Israel’s goal is the elimination of the Palestinian people…all of them.

The Epitome of Human Evil

Commonly known as genocide, the world has seen it before. Often called the “epitome of human evil,” Polish lawyer Raphel Lemkin coined the term in 1944 as he attempted to describe Nazi policies of systematic mass murder during the Holocaust, including the destruction of European Jews.

Today, the United Nations Genocide Convention defines genocide as “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” The majority of genocide scholars generally regard this and other definitions to have an “intent to destroy.”

Since 1956, there have been several dozen genocides, some of which continue to this day, resulting in the deaths of nearly 60 million people. Anti-government forces, militias, religious groups and others have waged war in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, all with one thing in common: an intent to destroy. But today, Israel has a reputation as having the most moral army on earth. The Israel Defense Forces goes to extreme lengths to protect the lives of non-combatants, including sending texts and making phone calls, even in the midst of war, to warn civilians when an action is going to occur. Should it become apparent that civilians are in danger, even when a mission is in process, it is immediately aborted.

But What About the Civilian Deaths?

Since its rebirth in 1948, the modern State of Israel has been known for its humanitarian efforts on behalf of the Palestinian people, building field hospitals and providing medical care for their “enemies.” No matter how deep you dig, an honest look at Israel’s actions will never reveal an intent to destroy. Israel is not interested in annihilating the Palestinian people. It is attempting to rid the region of a common enemy, in this case, Hamas, thereby bringing peace and prosperity to Jews and Arabs alike.

Let’s look at a practical example. The Law of War Manual clearly states that it is the responsibility of military combatants to clearly distinguish themselves from the civilian population. When they don’t, they are responsible for the deaths of civilians, not the enemy who is unable to distinguish between the two. In such a case, the failure of soldiers to clearly identify themselves, by, for instance, opting against wearing uniforms, is a breach of international law. Hamas repeatedly uses Palestinians as human shields, hides in hospitals, school and mosques and takes pains to not be identified as combatants. That means Hamas is guilty in the deaths of Palestinian civilians, not Israel.

When Food Becomes a Weapon of War

Today’s news reports are rife with statements like “the Israeli army is using starvation as a weapon of war” and “Israel is destroying food supplies and severely restricting the flow of food, medicines and other humanitarian supplies.” No one can deny that the Palestinian people are undergoing tremendous suffering. Their lives are in chaos and necessities like food and potable water may be difficult to find. But the facts simply do not support the accusation that Israel is at fault.

Only a few short days after the October 7 incursion, Israel began allowing humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza. Israel did this despite the fact that the Law of War Manual makes it clear that international law does not required them to do so if such supplies are strengthening the enemy. Since then, millions of tons of food have been delivered to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East or UNWRA and other groups for distribution. During evacuations, Israel created humanitarian corridors to ensure the safety of evacuees and also established daily scheduled pauses in the fighting to allow civilians to move about and receive the aid they required, all while fighting an enemy whose stated aim is the annihilation of the Jewish people.

Hamas, however, has stolen or otherwise appropriated the majority of the humanitarian supplies that have arrived in Gaza and has stockpiled food, medicine and other necessities for their own use.

In a recent interview with Bridges for Peace, Israeli Arab Yahya Mahamid brought reports of the situation. Yahya was raised in an Arab family in central Israel. Some of his family members are high-ranking officials in the Palestinian Authority and he has friends living in Gaza. From an early age, he was indoctrinated with anti-Israel propaganda and taught to hate Israelis. However, as a young adult, he came to recognize the truth, that the enemy is not Israel but rather radical Islamists who care only about their ideology and not about what is best for the Palestinian people. Mahamid later joined the IDF, served as a combat soldier and was called up after October 7.

He explained that there is no food shortage in Gaza. “The food is there. It’s just that Hamas has it and refuses to distribute it.”

Tons of food, experts believe, are being used as a weapon of war. But not by Israel. The only player in this war whose actions fit the UN definition of genocide is Hamas. It is time that the international community recognizes who is who in this war and supports Israel as they fight for the survival of the region. If not, we may have a much larger genocide on our hands.

Yahya Mahamid’s interview forms part of a groundbreaking investigative series, Israel Unfiltered. Follow along with Christian, Jewish and Arab historical, military, religious and political experts for an insiders view into Israel, the Palestinians, Hamas and the Middle East in the shadow of war by visiting israelunfiltered.tv

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