Over 28,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel’s invasion of Gaza since October 27 last year. Now there is another crisis looming in Gaza. The blockade of humanitarian aid by Israel has precipitated a serious crisis of food leading to pervasive starvation and death, particularly among children. The crisis of food shortage is so intense that according to a report from the Palestinian health ministry, one in six children in north Gaza is showing signs of severe malnourishment.

Over 28,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel’s invasion of Gaza since October 27 last year. Now there is another crisis looming in Gaza. The blockade of humanitarian aid by Israel has precipitated a serious crisis of food leading to pervasive starvation and death, particularly among children. The crisis of food shortage is so intense that according to a report from the Palestinian health ministry, one in six children in north Gaza is showing signs of severe malnourishment.

Starvation as a tool of war and as a weapon of genocide is not a new phenomenon. Food shortage created by monarchs, dictators and fascists has claimed millions of lives. “Faminophilic” (famine-loving) rulers know the value of food better than anyone else as an item of sustenance of life, thought and action. One glaring example of such brutality is the Nazi hunger plan called der Hungerplan led by Hitler’s food minister Herbert Backe. It was aimed at annihilating 30 million Russians, Slavs and Ukrainians.

On May 24, 2018, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the use of food insecurity and starvation as a technique of war. This was the first time ever that the UN Security Council not only addressed the issue but went ahead to say that using the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare may constitute a war crime. The Israeli regime has more than one reason to be tried for war crimes: Starvation deaths in Gaza are just one of the “trophies” in their showcase.

Shortage of food in any geographical unit is nearly always political. In fact, it is believed that three-quarters of famines and three-quarters of famine deaths in the world happen through a political agency. But inducing a famine through the blockade of humanitarian aid is altogether another matter. The world should be able to see through the difference between shortage of food and depriving people of food. The crystallising effect of food shortage in a geographical location like Gaza, where Israeli bombing has destroyed civic infrastructure and crippled supply chains, can be catastrophic. This is a crime of altogether different dimensions and effects. Starvation is also prohibited under the Geneva Conventions; violation of the Geneva Conventions falls under war crimes.

Conflict zones are populated both with stories of complete despair and wild hope. I am not sure if we can comfortably label Gaza as a conflict zone. Gaza is a landmass where the annihilation of residents is happening under the watchful eyes of world bodies and under the aegis of powerful nations like the United States (US). The utter failure of global governance in overcoming hunger and Israeli aggression in Gaza is being etched in history and may influence global politics in a future not very far from sight. This may not be without consequences even for children living out of this “conflict zone”. Hunger is a dangerous weapon to kill, but a treacherous weapon to construct an imagination of redress, revenge and retribution.

Belligerence-induced hunger in regions like Yemen, Syria and South Sudan should have been a reason enough for the world community to be aware and sensitive to possible hunger crimes by Israel. The narrative of starvation as Israel’s weapon of war generates a lukewarm response among most regimes, even though there have been large mobilisations in cities across the globe. The capital power of the US, Britain and the apartheid Israeli aggression is a blow not just to the people of Gaza, who despite the assault continue to live, but to the very values of liberty, fraternity and justice.

Shah Alam Khan is professor of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The views expressed are personal