ICSPR Sends an Urgent Briefing to the International Criminal Court: The Escalating Use of Starvation as a Weapon of War in Gaza After Over 155 Days of Siege and Blockade

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) has sent an urgent briefing to Mr. Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. The briefing included an urgent warning about the targeting of starving civilians awaiting humanitarian aid, along with investigations and reports conducted by ICSPR regarding the crime of starvation and its use as a weapon of war. It also included special investigations into the targeting and killing of starving civilians in front of the Israeli-American criminal institution centers. ICSPR is calling for the swift acceleration of investigations into these crimes and the issuance of additional arrest warrants against Israeli officials responsible, as well as activating the international justice track and holding the perpetrators of international crimes accountable. This is within the context of the ongoing genocide since October 7, 2023, which has intensified significantly since March 2, 2025, with the imposition of a total siege and the closure of all humanitarian crossings, resulting in the starvation of over two million Palestinians, in grave violation of international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute.

The following are the key features of the famine:

1. Starvation Crime – The Deadliest Weapon in the Genocide Against Civilians

The systematic starvation policy being implemented by the occupying forces has ceased to be a mere punitive measure and has become a deadly weapon of war, deliberately used against civilian populations. This crime includes the following elements:

1. 175 civilians have died, including 93 children, due to hunger and severe malnutrition.

2. 85% of families have lost their livelihood due to the loss of the breadwinner at aid distribution centers, resulting in 1,487 martyrs and 10,578 injured in this context.

3. Two million Palestinians are confined to only 12% of Gaza’s territory, most of which is classified as “dangerous combat zones,” with no aid allowed to enter since March 2025.

4. 99% of citizens are suffering from severe food insecurity, and 100% are unable to access safe drinking water.

5. 75% of the population is facing acute hunger, with 39% going without food for consecutive days.

6. Half a million people are living in conditions resembling famine, according to IPC Phase 5 classification.

7. 650,000 children are deprived of proper nutrition, and 20,000 children have been hospitalized due to the complications of hunger.

8. 300,000 children under the age of five and 150,000 pregnant and lactating women urgently need nutritional supplements.

9. 40,000 infants are at risk of death due to the shortage of infant formula in Gaza.

10. Since the beginning of the war, 65,000 cases of malnutrition have been recorded, including 27,000 in 2025 alone.

11. 5,500 cases of malnutrition in May, 6,425 cases in June, and 7,000 new cases in July, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

2. Challenges in Addressing the Starvation Crime

This includes the continued near-total closure of crossings, where the occupying forces maintain exclusive control over the type and quantity of humanitarian aid allowed to enter, preventing food, medicine, and water, while continuing to cut electricity and block fuel supplies for water wells and hospital generators. In addition, the evacuation of injured and sick individuals for treatment abroad is being obstructed due to the collapse of most health services.

• The politicization of aid, forcing a million citizens to go to Israeli-American distribution points that have become traps of death and humiliation.

• Chaos in distribution and the lack of coordination, leading to aid theft and the deprivation of large segments of civilians, while volunteers and aid workers are targeted, exacerbating the chaos and theft.

• Blocking and hindering the role of international humanitarian organizations, especially UNRWA, in delivering and distributing aid with justice and dignity.

• Less than 15% of the daily required aid, estimated at 500-700 trucks, has been allowed to enter.

• The targeting of community kitchens, depriving displaced individuals of even the minimum food required.

• A dramatic rise in prices, with the black market becoming the main source of food, leaving many unable to afford basic sustenance.

• International organizations have declared Gaza a famine zone, with the population reaching phase 5 (IPC 5) of food insecurity.

3. Humanitarian and Societal Consequences:

1. Civilian deaths: A death rate of nearly 6 people every 48 hours due to hunger.

2. The collapse of the healthcare system due to the lack of medicine and nutrition, worsening the suffering of patients with diabetes and heart conditions.

3. Deteriorating health among pregnant and lactating women, with the absence of necessary nutritional supplements, threatening the lives of 120,000 women.

4. Social disintegration and the spread of chaos in distribution centers.

5. The physical and mental deterioration of citizens due to the ongoing deprivation of food.

6. Widespread psychological trauma, with more than a million children suffering from depression and 97% of women experiencing psychological shock.

In conclusion, ICSPR demands the following:

1. Sending an investigative team from the Court to Gaza again to meet with survivors of the genocide to document and monitor gross violations.

2. Opening a serious investigation into the crimes of the “Gaza Humanitarian” American-Israeli institution for its role in killing starving civilians and issuing arrest warrants against those responsible, including Israeli soldiers involved in the deaths of starving civilians.

3. Initiating an urgent investigation by your esteemed court into the crime of systematic starvation and holding both civilian and military Israeli officials accountable for their involvement.

ICSPR warns that the continued international silence and failure to take concrete steps to halt the crime of starvation encourages the occupying authorities to continue perpetrating the largest humanitarian catastrophe of the modern era. This threatens the very foundation of international law, which risks collapsing before the eyes of the victims. Holding Israeli officials accountable for their role in committing genocide, starvation, war crimes, and crimes against humanity against Palestinian civilians is one of the guarantees for preventing further crimes, seeking justice for the victims, and protecting humanity from the law of the jungle. Therefore, ICSPR urges the Prosecutor to promptly issue additional arrest warrants for Israeli officials and their collaborators responsible for this crime.