In Private, Some Israeli Officers Admit That Gaza Is on the Brink of Starvation

According to three Israeli defense officials familiar with the situation in Gaza, some military personnel have privately acknowledged that widespread starvation is imminent unless aid deliveries to the enclave resume within a matter of weeks. This shift in perspective comes after months of Israel maintaining that its blockade on food and fuel posed no major risk to civilian life, despite warnings from the United Nations and other aid organizations of a looming famine.

Israeli military officers responsible for monitoring humanitarian conditions in Gaza have recently cautioned their commanders that without a swift lifting of the blockade, many areas of Gaza could soon face severe food shortages, jeopardizing the ability of civilians to meet even basic nutritional needs. These officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, emphasized the urgent need for immediate steps to scale up aid deliveries to prevent a catastrophic outcome.

This internal acknowledgment of a potential hunger crisis within the Israeli security establishment comes amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, a conflict that has now persisted for more than 19 months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently reiterated his commitment to continuing military operations in Gaza with the aim of dismantling Hamas and recovering remaining hostages. On Tuesday, Netanyahu vowed that the military would resume operations “in full force to finish the job” and “eliminate Hamas.”

Meanwhile, the timing of these warnings coincides with a significant international visit. On the same day Netanyahu made his statements, President Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia as part of his first major foreign trip since his re-election. However, Trump did not visit Israel, a move interpreted by some as indicative of a growing rift between the two leaders over critical security issues.

The military officers’ internal assessments highlight a disconnect between Israel’s public statements about the blockade and its private deliberations. While the government has repeatedly claimed that sufficient aid entered Gaza during the brief cease-fire to sustain the population, aid organizations have disputed these assertions, warning that the blockade’s impact on civilians is severe and escalating.

On Monday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a United Nations-backed initiative that monitors malnutrition, reported that famine in Gaza was imminent. According to the report, if military operations escalate, the vast majority of Gazans could soon be left without access to food, water, shelter, and medical supplies.

Despite the dire warnings, Israeli officials have remained tight-lipped about the assessments made by their military personnel. A spokesman for Israel’s foreign ministry said that while he could not comment on internal discussions, the ministry was closely monitoring the humanitarian situation in Gaza in coordination with relevant agencies.

The blockade has been a point of contention throughout the conflict, with Israel justifying its actions as necessary to weaken Hamas’s access to resources and force the release of hostages captured in the group’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. However, humanitarian organizations argue that the restrictions disproportionately impact civilians, with reports emerging of food prices skyrocketing and people resorting to looting to survive.

“All I had to eat today was a few fava beans from an expired can,” said Khalil el-Halabi, a 71-year-old retired United Nations employee in Gaza City. He described feeling weak and unable to walk, having lost nearly 80 pounds since the start of the war. His daughter, who recently gave birth, is unable to breastfeed due to malnutrition, and there is no baby formula available, he said.

Military officers in COGAT, the Israeli agency overseeing policy in Gaza and the West Bank, have reportedly reached the same conclusions as international aid organizations. They assess the humanitarian situation through direct contact with Palestinians, analysis of aid distribution data, and monitoring the availability of essential supplies in Gaza.

According to defense officials, these officers have briefed senior commanders on the deteriorating conditions, warning that unless aid deliveries resume swiftly, the civilian population will face severe hunger in a matter of weeks. Last week, a senior general presented this assessment to Israel’s cabinet, cautioning that supplies in Gaza could run out entirely within weeks.

In response, Israeli military leaders are reportedly exploring strategies to resume aid deliveries without empowering Hamas. The Trump administration announced last week that it was working with Israel to devise a plan involving private organizations distributing aid at a limited number of sites in Gaza, with Israeli military personnel stationed around the perimeters.

However, aid agencies have criticized the proposal, arguing that it would force vulnerable civilians to travel longer distances to fewer distribution points, increasing their exposure to conflict and further limiting their access to basic necessities. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs rejected the plan, warning that it would exacerbate the displacement of civilians from northern to southern Gaza, potentially placing them in even greater danger.

According to international conflict law experts, intentionally obstructing aid deliveries to civilians constitutes a violation of international law if it is known that such actions will result in starvation. “Deliberately restricting food and fuel to civilians in a war zone is a breach of international law,” said Janina Dill, co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. Dill added that when decision-makers explicitly state that the blockade is intended to extract military or political concessions, the act may qualify as a war crime.

As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, the international community is watching closely, with mounting pressure on Israel to lift the blockade and facilitate the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries before a full-scale famine takes hold. that even if there is some debate over Israel’s obligations toward Gazans, “when Israeli decision makers state that the purpose is to extract political and military concessions, it clearly constitutes a war crime.”