Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Israel’s Mass Starvation as a Weapon of War

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After six months of a sustained U.S.-backed Israeli war of annihilation against the Palestinians of Gaza, President Joe Biden says he now has a “red line.” Asked about Israel’s threatened full-scale invasion of Rafah, Biden said, “You can’t have another 30,000 Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after Hamas,” Biden told MSNBC. “There are other ways to deal with Hamas.”

The White House has taken no action to halt the transfer of arms and other support to Israel’s war, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly said that he, not Biden, will decide whether to occupy Gaza. As the Ramadan holiday begins, the humanitarian reality of the people in Gaza has descended into horror. Israel’s deliberate starvation campaign is intensifying the already indescribable suffering wrought by constant bombing and ground operations. The decimation of the health infrastructure and the attacks against hospitals have resulted in the collapse of basic health services.

This week on Intercepted, Yara Asi, author of “How War Kills: The Overlooked Threats to Our Health,” joins Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain for a discussion on the health impacts of the war, the dehumanizing narratives Israel has deployed to justify its mass-killing operations, and the U.S. plans for building a port off the Gaza coast. Asi is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida in the School of Global Health Management and co-director of the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.

The use of mass starvation as a weapon of war is a violation of international humanitarian law and has devastating consequences for civilian populations caught in conflict zones. The deliberate targeting of essential infrastructure such as hospitals and healthcare facilities exacerbates an already dire situation, leaving innocent civilians without access to critical medical care.

Yara Asi’s expertise sheds light on the overlooked threats to health in conflict zones and underscores the urgent need for international intervention to protect vulnerable populations. The discussion on Intercepted highlights the urgent need for accountability and justice for those affected by Israel’s use of mass starvation as a weapon of war.

As the world watches in horror at the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, it is crucial for global leaders to take immediate action to end the suffering of innocent civilians. The international community must hold those responsible for war crimes and violations of international law accountable to prevent further atrocities.

The post “Israel’s Use of Mass Starvation as a Weapon of War” serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of conflict and the urgent need for peace and justice in regions ravaged by war. The Intercept continues to provide critical analysis and reporting on global issues to shed light on human rights abuses and hold perpetrators accountable.

In conclusion, the use of mass starvation as a weapon of war is a grave violation of international law that demands immediate attention and action from the international community. The voices of experts like Yara Asi are essential in raising awareness about the devastating impact of conflict on civilian populations and advocating for justice and accountability for those affected by war crimes.

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