Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN rights expert says

Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, which constitutes a "situation of genocide", the UN’s leading expert on the right to food Michael Fakhri has said. 

Speaking to the Guardian, Fakhri accused Israel of intentionally carrying out a policy of denying food to civilians, which he said was a war crime. 

“There is no reason to intentionally block the passage of humanitarian aid or intentionally obliterate small-scale fishing vessels, greenhouses and orchards in Gaza other than to deny people access to food,” said Fakhri. 

He added that "intentionally depriving people of food is clearly a war crime" and accused Israel of announcing its intention to "destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part, simply for being Palestinian". 

"In my view as a UN human rights expert, this is now a situation of genocide. This means the State of Israel in its entirety is culpable and should be held accountable - not just individuals or this government, or that person," said the law professor at the University of Oregon.  

“The speed of malnourishment of young children is also astounding. The bombing and people being killed directly is brutal, but this starvation - and the wasting and stunting of children - is torturous and vile. It will have a longterm impact on the population physically, cognitively and morally … All things indicate that this has been intentional,” he added.