The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced June 24 that the recent killing of Palestinians trying to receive food from aid hubs may constitute a war crime, warning of a policy of "weaponized hunger" in the Gaza Strip. Jonathan Whittall, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza and the West Bank, reported that more than 400 people have now died in the process of trying to reach food distribution points. “"We see a chilling pattern of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathering to get food," Whittall said, adding that "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution."

"Israel has clear responsibilities as an occupying power," Whittall declared. "This is not what fulfilling those responsibilities looks like."

He added: "It is weaponized hunger. It is forced displacement. It's a death sentence for people just trying to survive. All combined, it appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza,"

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, occupying powers in an armed international conflict have obligations towards the civilian populations of occupied areas. Article 55 regards an occupying power’s responsibility of ensuring access to food and medical supplies, requiring an occupying power to “bring in the necessary foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate.” Article 63 requires an occupying power to allow Red Cross societies and other relief organizations to pursue humanitarian activities in accordance with the principles of such relief societies. Israel is a state party to the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The OHCHR's warning comes nearly a month after the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating on May 27, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs, including the Red Cross. While the UN rejects the GHF system, backed by Israel and the US, as inadequate and a violation of humanitarian impartiality, Israel insists that it is necessary to prevent Hamas fighters from diverting aid deliveries. Looting of aid convoys is commonplace in Gaza as a result of Israel’s tight control over aid entering Gaza. The UN and other aid providers are reliant on Israeli authorities, only approving eight out of sixteen humanitarian operations last weekend.

The OHCHR has also condemned the killing of GHF staff by armed men allegedly affiliated with Hamas. According to UN information, GHF staff were attacked, beaten, and tortured, resulting in the death of 12 Palestinians. The OHCHR said that such killings would amount to war crimes. 

From JURIST, June 25. Used with permission.

See our last reports on the GHF and genocide accusations against Israel.