Israel’s “Minimal Aid” Policy in Gaza must be condemned

The announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will maintain control over all of Gaza and allow only “minimal” humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave is a watershed moment for the international human rights community. For the Washington Centre for Human Rights (WCHR), and for all advocates of international humanitarian law, this policy is not just a political maneuver-it is a direct challenge to the core principles underpinning the modern human rights system.

The Human Cost: Statistics That Demand Action

The statistics emerging from Gaza are staggering and should serve as a clarion call to the world. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, as reported by OCHA, at least 52,928 Palestinians have been killed and 119,846 injured between 7 October 2023 and 14 May 2025. Nearly 300 UNRWA team members have lost their lives since the conflict began. The devastation is not limited to loss of life: 1.9 million people-about 90% of Gaza’s population-have been displaced, many of them repeatedly, some as many as ten times or more. These are not just numbers; they represent families torn apart, communities shattered, and a society on the brink of collapse.

The targeting of civilian infrastructure has been relentless. Hospitals, residential buildings, schools, and even tents sheltering the forcibly displaced have been hit. As of early May, 837 incidents impacting UNRWA premises and 311 installations have been documented, with at least 767 people sheltering in UNRWA facilities killed and 2,419 injured. The destruction of these lifelines further exacerbates the suffering of a population already enduring the unimaginable.

Famine as Policy: The Weaponization of Hunger

Perhaps the most damning indictment of current policy is the deliberate restriction of humanitarian aid. Since 2 March 2025, Israel has imposed a near-total siege on Gaza, blocking the entry of food, fuel, medical aid, and vaccines for children. The consequences are catastrophic: half a million people-one in five-are facing starvation, and the entire Gaza Strip is classified at Crisis-level food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). Over one million people (54% of the population) are in the Emergency phase (IPC Phase 4), and 470,000 (22%) are facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 5).

The impact on children is especially harrowing. Nearly 71,000 children under five are expected to be acutely malnourished in the coming year, with 14,100 severe cases anticipated. Since the start of the aid blockade, 57 children have reportedly died from malnutrition. These deaths are not the result of natural disaster or accident-they are the foreseeable outcome of policies that restrict the most basic necessities of life.

Netanyahu’s justification for the minimal aid policy

Netanyahu’s justification for the minimal aid policy is revealing. He has stated, “We must not let the population of Gaza sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons. If there is famine, we will lose international support and won’t be able to achieve victory.” This is not a humanitarian rationale-it is a calculation based on optics and international pressure, not on the rights or needs of civilians.

International organizations and human rights advocates have responded with alarm. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has condemned the repeated targeting of UNRWA shelters and schools, calling it “collective punishment, categorically prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention”. The World Health Organization and other agencies warn that Gaza’s water facilities are on the brink of shutdown due to lack of fuel, and at least 80 community kitchens are close to running out of food supplies.

Aid access remains a major obstacle. Of 109 planned aid movements coordinated with Israeli authorities between 1 and 13 May, 69 were denied, five impeded, three withdrawn, and only 32 facilitated. The four aid distribution sites allowed are all in southern Gaza, leaving vast swathes of the population cut off from life-saving assistance.

The Legal and Moral Failure

The scale and nature of the suffering in Gaza constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law. The collective punishment of a civilian population, the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian relief, and the targeting of civilian infrastructure are all prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. The current situation in Gaza is not a failure of logistics or coordination-it is the direct result of policy choices.

The international community, particularly those states and organizations that profess a commitment to human rights, must confront the uncomfortable reality that their response has been inadequate. The United States and European countries have increased pressure on Israel to resume aid, but the resumption remains minimal and insufficient to avert famine or restore basic services. The world’s leading democracies cannot claim to champion human rights while tolerating the systematic deprivation of an entire population.

WCHR’s call for unrestricted humanitarian aid 

The Washington Centre for Human Rights calls for:

• Immediate, unrestricted humanitarian access to all areas of Gaza, with the scale of aid matching the scale of need.
• An independent international investigation into attacks on civilians and humanitarian infrastructure, with accountability for those responsible for violations of international law.
• A cessation of policies that amount to collective punishment, including the blockade and restrictions on movement and aid.
• Robust international diplomatic engagement to secure a durable ceasefire and a political solution that respects the rights and dignity of all civilians.

The crisis in Gaza is a test of the global human rights system. The statistics are not abstract-they are the measure of our collective failure to protect the most vulnerable. The statements from those in power reveal a chilling indifference to human suffering, while the reactions from the international community have, so far, been insufficient to stem the tide of death and deprivation.

If the world allows the deliberate starvation and displacement of an entire population to become an acceptable tool of war, the consequences will reverberate far beyond Gaza. The credibility of the international human rights system-so painstakingly built over decades-hangs in the balance. The time for equivocation is over. The world must act, not just for Gaza, but for the future of human rights everywhere.