Academic Paper: Starvation as a Genocidal Crime: Between Legal Protection and Reality-A Descriptive and Analytical Study of the 2023-2024 Gaza War (Arabic)

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By: Diya’ Na‘im al-Safadi.
(Exclusively for al-Zaytouna Centre).

Al-Zaytouna Centre has published an academic paper, in Arabic, titled, “Starvation as a Crime of Genocide: Legal Protection and Reality—A Descriptive and Analytical Study Applied to the War on Gaza 2023–2024,” by Diya’ Na‘im al-Safadi.

On 7/10/2023, Israel launched its most brutal and bloody war on the Gaza Strip (GS), implementing a policy of restriction and slow killing by cutting off all cellular communications and internet access, as well as closing all outlets and crossings that supply the GS with water, food, fuel and other essentials for basic human survival. This severely worsened the situation in GS.

Among the horrific crimes committed by Israel is the crime of starvation, which, as of the writing of this paper, has claimed the lives of 33 Palestinians, with more than 3,500 children still at risk of death due to malnutrition and food shortages.

This study examines Israel’s use of starvation as an act of genocide against the residents of northern GS. The repercussions of this crime have had a devastating impact on the lives of Gazans. This paper also explores the role of international conventions and norms in offering protection against such crimes and their legal regulation.

This paper is important because it helps readers understand starvation as a form of genocide and highlights the suffering of the Palestinian people in GS. It also clarifies the legal aspects of the crime of starvation by explaining its nature, classification and legal standing, as well as the international conventions that protect individuals from starvation. Additionally, it examines the methods and tactics of starvation employed by the Israeli occupation in GS.

The paper also aims to uphold the rights of Gazan citizens and support their cause, guiding those involved in the legal process toward the correct legal characterization of the crime of starvation in GS. It also seeks to internationalize the Palestine issue anew, in a different way, by exposing the true nature of the Israeli occupation and revealing its actions to the world.