The Sahat Institute, based in Istanbul, Turkiye, launched a campaign in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip, intending to raise awareness of the use of hunger as a weapon of war by the Israeli army.
The campaign echoes reports by international agencies, such as the United Nations (UN) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
After almost five months of Israeli assault on Gaza, including bombings and military siege, at least eight children reportedly starved to death in northern Gaza, including a six-month-old baby.
The campaign gathers harrowing accounts such as: “We are dying slowly”, “I cannot recall the last proper meal my son had” and “We eat grass”.
The campaign also reaffirms the almost 20 years of Israeli siege on Gaza by sea, air and land. The blockade escalated since 7 October, when the Israeli Minister of Defence, Yoav Gallant, ordered an absolute siege on the Territory, when he described the 2.4 million local Palestinians as “human animals”.
Sahat also notes Israel’s failure to comply with the provisional measures ruled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 26 January, including humanitarian flow to the civilian population, obstructed by military attacks and settlers’ blockades of the border crossings.
“Hunger has been used as a weapon to collectively punish the population of Gaza,” the organisation warns in a video. “The Israelis don’t want to break the siege as it allows it to regulate the degree of pain inflicted upon every living soul in the enclave.”
“Before the war, food entering Gaza was calculated in terms of calories,” he added. “But on the brink of famine today, the only thing to be counted is the number of victims who have and will die from bombing, hunger or disease.”
The Sahat Institute acts as a humanitarian institution and news agency to spread Palestinian voices and stories, both in their land and in the Diaspora.
Israel has been attacking Gaza since 7 October in retaliation for a cross-border action by Hamas, which captured settlers and soldiers. The Israeli assault killed nearly 30,000 Palestinians and injured 70,000. Most of the victims are women and children.
The Israeli actions are collective punishment, a war crime and genocide.
This article was first published in Portuguese on MEMO Monitor do Oriente Medio on 26 February, 2024.
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