Starvation as a Method of Warfare: A Qualitative Study on the Use of Starvation in the Case of Gaza

Abstract

The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli land, sea, and air blockade since 2007, which has had a devastating impact on the lives of approximately 2.3 million Palestinians. Following the attacks by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, Israel initiated a relentless assault, intensifying the blockade on the besieged enclave, with Israel accused of using starvation as a method of warfare. Compounding restrictions imposed on the enclave before Hamas’s attacks, Israeli forces have been accused of blocking the delivery of water, food, and fuel, thereby deliberately depriving Gaza’s population of objects indispensable to their survival (OIS). For this reason, I examine the use of starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza by studying the systematic tactics employed by Israel and the goals pursued. Additionally, given the scarcity of research from a victim’s perspective, I conduct first-hand interviews to study the strategies and impacts of starvation from an insider perspective. Supported by secondary data, the research unpacks the processes of cutting funds, controlling border crossings, and destroying infrastructure as starvation tactics. I analyze these tactics within the framework of settler-colonialism and a sequential process of warfare, unraveling the sequential actions and the profound humanitarian impact. Furthermore, the study explores the impact of starvation on the humanitarian situation, with a particular focus on food security. By integrating theoretical analysis with empirical data, the findings underscore that starvation is both a deliberate tool and an outcome of a man-made series of siege strategies. In the case of Gaza, within settler-colonial contexts, the occupier seeks not only immediate military objectives but also long-term dominance.