In recent days, Israel has been working to tackle a growing international Palestinian campaign claiming that Israel is causing starvation in its war in Gaza.
Read more:
While food shortages are real, the accusation that Israel is purposely preventing food from reaching the civilian population in Gaza, are being forcefully rejected by officials.
Before the war, Gaza's food supply consisted of three components: local production through on-site manufacturing facilities, agricultural production – vegetables, and livestock, and imports to supplement nutritional needs. The situation changed when the war began with agricultural lands overrun and fields destroyed and restrictions on access to fields near the border leading to a near-complete halt in agricultural production. Although in the South of the Strip, some farming still goes on.
Another reason for the change is the almost complete stop to local food production (except for gradually reopening bakeries), primarily due to the lack of electricity. Hamas has taken over and exploited civilian and industrial infrastructure for terrorist purposes, resulting in damage to these production facilities.
During the war, the population relied on pre-existing food reserves in Gaza and locally produced agricultural products – including those intended for export, aid trucks coming in across the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings and supplies from UN agencies, existing non-governmental and international organizations, as well as the Red Cross, for food distribution. Recently, Israel began permitting delivery of privately run imports as well.
In Jerusalem, officials emphasize that Israel has never employed or utilized hunger as a military tool. According to their statements, Palestinian civilians are not Israel's enemy and it is Hamas that declared war on Israel on October 7. Meanwhile, Israel allows the humanitarian aid into the Strip, with a focus on food. This is done after thorough supervision and control to ensure that the goods delivered do not include weapons or supplies that could pose a security risk.