ICSPR Sends Urgent Briefing Memo to the International Community on the Catastrophe of Border Closures and the Starvation of Two Million Palestinians in Gaza
Date: 15 August 2025
Press Release
ICSPR Sends Urgent Briefing Memo to the International Community on the Catastrophe of Border Closures and the Starvation of Two Million Palestinians in Gaza
Gaza – The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) has sent an urgent briefing memorandum to a wide range of international human rights bodies, foremost among them the International Criminal Court, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, the Special Rapporteur on the humanitarian situation, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteurs on the rights to food, health, water and sanitation, as well as the United Nations Security Council, the international press, the International Fact-Finding Committee, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The memo aims to present these bodies with a comprehensive picture of the catastrophic consequences resulting from the closure of humanitarian crossings and the prevention of aid entry into the Gaza Strip, under a siege that has lasted for more than 160 days — a blockade that ICSPR says is being carried out in complete violation of internationally recognized UN standards.
At the outset of the memo, ICSPR expressed its appreciation for the efforts of these international institutions to promote human dignity and protect human rights worldwide, as well as to ensure that states comply with the provisions of international humanitarian law. However, it stressed that the ongoing situation in Gaza for many months constitutes a systematic crime of genocide being committed against civilians in plain sight of the world. The Commission noted that the toll of the ongoing assault and siege has so far reached 62,049 killed and 159,705 injured, in addition to the displacement and starvation of two million civilians and the creation of an environment unfit for human habitation in the long term.
The memo further stated that the occupying authorities continue to block any serious negotiations to halt the catastrophe, erecting permanent obstacles to all humanitarian initiatives, while pressing ahead with a military campaign aimed at killing as many civilians as possible and displacing the remainder of the population. This, ICSPR said, is part of a systematic plan to depopulate the Strip and transform it into Jewish settlements as part of an expansionist colonial policy. Despite the gravity of these violations, ICSPR stressed that the siege of civilians and the closure of humanitarian corridors to starve and isolate them constitutes one of the most heinous crimes, in blatant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life.
The memo goes on to detail the situation on the ground, noting that since 2 March 2025, Israel has imposed a suffocating blockade on the crossings, preventing the entry of any food, medicine, or even allowing the evacuation of patients for treatment abroad. This has led to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, with hundreds of deaths from starvation, including dozens of children, and the spoilage of most humanitarian aid shipments held on the Egyptian side due to the ban on their passage. International media and fact-finding missions have also been barred from entering, leaving the Strip completely isolated from the world and its people vulnerable to massacres without oversight or documentation.
ICSPR warns that the ongoing closure of the crossings has dealt a fatal blow to the health sector, with around 35,000 wounded denied travel for treatment and more than 6,700 people dying due to a lack of medicine and evacuation opportunities. The siege has also deprived around one million children of adequate nutrition, with nearly half of them already suffering from malnutrition, while infant formula has been unavailable for tens of thousands. In addition, the blockade has deprived hospitals of the fuel needed to operate vital departments and prevented access to safe drinking water due to the shutdown of desalination plants.
The impact of the closure goes beyond the immediate humanitarian tragedy, paralyzing the work of humanitarian organizations that are now unable to deliver aid due to restrictions on their supplies. The blockade has also triggered a severe cash crisis, with the collapse of the banking system and currency exchange fees soaring to 50%, depriving citizens of the ability to access their own funds and further limiting their ability to meet daily needs.
According to ICSPR, the continuation of the siege and the closure of the crossings has entrenched Gaza’s isolation from the world and prevented the UN from declaring it a “famine zone” under international criteria, due to the lack of field monitoring in the absence of international journalists or investigation teams. The blockade has also delayed reconstruction efforts by preventing the entry of equipment needed to remove more than 55 million tons of rubble, exacerbating the crisis and delaying any hope of recovery.
In conclusion, ICSPR called on the international community to take urgent and immediate action, emphasizing that the current blockade constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Commission demanded the immediate opening of crossings and the unconditional entry of aid, holding mediators and guarantors responsible for pressuring Israel to end the genocide and lift the siege, and prosecuting all those who participated in or supported the decisions leading to these crimes, including states that provide material and military support to Israel. It also stressed the need to support humanitarian efforts to establish independent and safe corridors for the delivery of relief, free from Israeli control, as a critical step to saving the lives of the remaining population of the Strip.
