Israel-Hamas war: Food convoys leak into Gaza as UN issues high-risk civilian starvation warnings

23 Oct 2023 --- A convoy of 14 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday carrying food and medical supplies — the second shipment of basic goods reaching the strip’s 2.3 million residents since Israel’s total blockade following Hamas’ terrorist attacks, in which at least 1,300 civilians were murdered, on October 7.

While 20 trucks in total have now passed through Egypt’s Rafah crossing since the conflict began, the UN is warning that a minimum of 100 trucks a day will need to cross to prevent mass civilian starvation in the region. 

The current situation stands in stark contrast to the pre-blockage situation. In August 2023, the UN reported that 12,072 truckloads of “authorized goods entered Gaza through the Israeli and Egyptian-controlled crossings.”

Yesterday’s convoy coincided with an Israeli missile strike near the Rafah crossing, which the Israeli Defence Force says was an accident that is being investigated. 

While international law does not explicitly outlaw wartime sieges, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses the Israeli government of war crimes through collective punishment in Gaza, where more than half of the population are children. The Fourth Geneva Convention also prohibits starvation as a method of warfare. 

On Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry reported at least 4,385 Palestinian deaths caused by Israeli airstrikes, including hundreds of children and more than a million people displaced since the conflict began. 

Two days after the Hamas attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallad declared a total blockade, proclaiming: “We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly.” 

Counting calories
When people fully depend on food aid, the World Food Programme aims to provide 2,100 calories per person daily. Humans can typically survive on roughly 1,200 calories per day for one or two months. 

Humans also need an average of five liters of water per day for hydration, cooking and hygiene. In emergencies, 1.5 liters can suffice. UN authorities have warned Gazan civilians could be close to starvation, but Israel fears that aid trucks entering the strip could be used to smuggle weapons.

These needs add up to roughly 2 kilograms of basic supplies per Gazan resident each day, meaning around 4.4 million kilograms (4,400 tons) of emergency supplies are needed every day until the siege ends. 

More than 5,500 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip are also expected to give birth within the next month, but lack “lifesaving supplies,” according to the UN Population Fund.

With an average truck only capable of carrying 20 tons of goods and Gaza’s southern airport bombed in 2001, shipments to Egypt’s ports near the Rafah crossing will be necessary to prevent the mass starvation warned by HRW.

Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, called for urgent accountability for the “horrific crimes committed by Hamas,” and warned of a severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave. 

She also drew attention to the “inescapable risk of starvation” faced by the Gazan population, saying that “intentional starvation is a crime against humanity.”

Israeli blockage logic 
Numerous Israeli analysts have defended the blockade, which is a continuation and escalation of a siege originally imposed in 2005, restricting the movement of goods and people into the strip. 

The Israeli government has maintained the blockage is necessary to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, which, after Hamas’ takeover in 2007, became a far greater threat to Israeli citizens. 

Analyst Jonothan Feldstein, writing for All Israeli News, has said that “Israel has no obligation to provide water, electricity, fuel or anything else to a neighboring state, much less an enemy entity that has its sworn goal of the destruction of Israel.”

“Hamas could have stockpiled thousands of tons of food, medical equipment and water, just as they had been planning this attack for months. But they didn’t. If there are any such stockpiles, they are only for the Hamas terrorist leaders, not the average Palestinian living in Gaza.”

However, regardless of Israel’s responsibility to provide aid, actively preventing food and basic supplies from civilians trapped in the conflict is considered a war crime under international law. 

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths has said “a tough but fair discussion” is ongoing to establish a verification regime ensuring goods do not end up in the hands of Hamas. 

“We need from tomorrow to build up a light, efficient, random, hopefully, inspection system that will not slow things down,” Griffiths reportedly said during a recent conference in Cairo. 

By Louis Gore-Langton