Geneva (Quds News Network)- A group of more than 30 UN human rights experts said Thursday that Israel has resumed “weaponizing starvation” against Palestinians in Gaza by blocking all humanitarian aid after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement expired.
The move “flagrantly breaches international law and any prospects of peace”, the independent UN experts said in a statement on Thursday.
“We are alarmed by Israel’s decision to suspend once again all goods and supplies, including life-saving humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip,” they added.
“As the occupying power, Israel is always obliged to ensure sufficient food, medical supplies and other relief services. By deliberately cutting vital supplies, including those relating to sexual and reproductive health, and assistive devices for persons with disabilities, Israel is once again weaponizing aid.”
The statement added that such blockades violate international humanitarian and human rights laws and are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.
“The so-called three phase ceasefire deal should have led to a permanent cessation of hostilities and the release of all Palestinians and Israelis unlawfully detained as a most basic requisite for sustainable peace. Instead, they resulted in further violence and even further destruction of Palestinian life. This is both unlawful and utterly inhumane.”
According to the experts, a total siege policy against Palestinians who have repeatedly been displaced with 80 percent of farmland and civilian infrastructure destroyed will only “aggravate the dire situation”.
“Creating unlivable conditions for the Palestinians under Israeli occupation appears to be Israel’s determination across the entire occupied Palestinian territory, from the decimated Gaza Strip to the West Bank,” the statement noted
“The reality is that while the ceasefire restored a glimpse of hope for Palestinians and Israelis, it ‘never ended’ fire against the Palestinians.”
Although the war officially halted on 19 January, the Israeli occupation government has repeatedly violated the agreement, carrying out air strikes and firing on Palestinians since the ceasefire began.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in direct Israeli attacks since the ceasefire started. The violations also include blocking the entry of sheltering and relief aid, further aggravating the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
“We are particularly dismayed by the swift endorsement by some states and regional organisations of Israel’s justification to cut off aid to Gaza as a reaction to Hamas’ alleged violations of the ceasefire, while Israel’s numerous infringements of the ceasefire went largely unreported,” the experts added.
They urged mediators to intervene and uphold the truce agreement, calling on international actors to take action to end “this brutal and endless assault on the Palestinian people and their rights, lest the whole world be swept up in this storm of lawlessness and injustice”.
Blocking Aid
Since the first phase ended on March 1, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, preventing food, water, fuel, and medicine from entering the enclave amid widespread condemnations.
Israel’s decision came after Hamas refused to accept the extension of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, noting it will only release captives in phases, per the ceasefire agreement, which Israel is now refusing to continue.
Israel said that it had accepted a last-minute proposal put on the table by the US president’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire over Ramadan and Passover.
According to Israel, the proposal also outlined the release of all captives still in Gaza in two stages, with the second stage contingent on negotiating a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas said it would only accept moving to the second stage, which was supposed to guarantee the definitive end of the assault, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of remaining captives.
“Gates of Hell”
The move was celebrated by Israeli ministers and senior officials, further calling for cutting of power and water supplies.
“I welcome the decision to halt the humanitarian aid if it is implemented,” said Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
“The decision has finally been made – better late than never. This should be the policy until the last of the hostages is returned. Now is the time to open the gates of hell, shut off the electricity and water, return to war, and most importantly, not settle for just half of the hostages, but to return to President Trump’s ultimatum all the hostages immediately or hell will break loose on Gaza.”
Ben Gvir referred to US President Donald Trump’s warning that “all hell” would break out if all the captives were not returned, while saying that it was ultimately Israel’s decision.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said “the decision we made tonight to completely halt the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas is destroyed or completely surrenders and all our hostages are returned is an important step in the right direction.”
Describing the move as the “threshold of the gates of hell,” he added: “Now we need to open those gates as quickly and lethally as possible on the cruel enemy, until absolute victory.”
Nissim Vaturi, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, also wrote on X, “Have the gates of hell opened!? Bomb the food supplies that have already been brought into Gaza from the air today!” Vaturi called last week for the execution of all Palestinian men in Gaza, as well as the destruction of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. He also said Israel should simply “burn Gaza”.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the repeated warnings of the risk of famine in Gaza “a lie”.
“With regards to this starvation [claim], that was a lie during all this war. That was a lie,” Saar said at a press conference, in response to a question about what would happen if people began to starve.
“Hell Plan”
Plans by Israeli authorities to cut off water and electricity were also circulating.
According to the Israel Hayom newspaper, Israel is willing to cut electricity and water if Hamas does not agree to extend phase one of the ceasefire deal, instead of moving on to phase two.
The newspaper reported that mediators have been given a few days to persuade Hamas to bend to Israel’s demands, with Netanyahu not preparing to agree to end the assault.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 14 reported that Energy Minister Eli Cohen is planning to request a stop to the supply of electricity to Gaza in the next cabinet meeting.
Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan News, also claimed in a report that Gaza has enough food supplies for “four months,” so Israel has halted all fuel supplies that are used to generate electricity and is considering cutting off water to all of Gaza.
This is part of what Israel has called a “hell plan” to pressure Hamas into further captive releases without a troop withdrawal from the Palestinian territory.
It was reported to have made preparations to go beyond the suspension of food and fuel, to implement a programme of steadily increased isolation of the coastal strip and its population of about 2.2 million, according to Kan, which said the government was referring to the programme of measures as the “hell plan”.
The plan would involve cutting off electricity and remaining water supplies, and moving Palestinians in northern Gaza back down to the south, to pave the way to the potential resumption of full-scale war.
The Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has instructed the Israeli military to make preparations for a return to war, according to the Walla news site. Since Wednesday, they have been serving under a new chief of staff, Maj Gen Eyal Zamir, who has been an advocate of using overwhelming force aimed at achieving a quick, decisive victory in Gaza.
519 Days Without Electricity
The Gaza Electricity Company confirmed on Saturday that Gaza has been without power for the 519th day, creating an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. It added that the power outages have caused significant challenges for residents across the strip.
It also explained that the lack of electricity has led to a severe decline in vital sectors, particularly healthcare.
Mohammed Thabet, the Director of Public Relations and Media at the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company, confirmed to local media last week that the recent Israeli assault led to the near-total destruction of Gaza’s electricity sector.
He added that the assault led to the destruction of the main power station and the electricity feeder lines from Israel, causing a complete power outage across Gaza. He detailed that 70% of the electricity distribution networks were destroyed, along with 80% of the company’s vehicles and 90% of its warehouses.
On March 3, Israel cut off the only electricity line that fed Gaza from Israel and had been restored months earlier to support the productivity of a central water desalination plant in Deir al-Balah, in centeral Gaza. This line was providing drinking water daily to both residents and displaced people.
The move came two days after Israel’s blocking of the humnaitraian aid to the enclave.
Nizar Ayash, the mayor of Deir al-Balah, described the Israeli decision as “shocking,” emphasizing that it was the only operating station in the region, supplying Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis with potable water.
Ayash said both cities, overcrowded with displaced people, will face an unprecedented humanitarian disaster
In the early months of Israel’s war on Gaza, the station operated at minimal capacity, relying on local solar panels and generators amid ongoing fuel shortages in Gaza. It was only able to resume full operations after being reconnected to a power line.
In July 2024, after international pressure, Israel supplied the only electricity line to the station, located along the coast of Deir al-Balah to serve over one million displaced people in the city and help mitigate the spread of diseases and epidemics among them. The station is one of three seawater desalination plants in Gaza, which before the war, provided around 15% of the population’s water needs.