Israeli Minister Under Fire for Gaza Starvation Suggestion

An Israeli minister’s suggestion that Gazans could be left to starve has sparked widespread outrage. Learn more about the international response.

According to Bezalel Smotrich, the finance chief, one method of defeating Hamas could be letting two million individuals from Gaza go hungry.

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has drawn condemnation from the US and other Western countries for suggesting that starving Gaza’s entire populace could be ethically defensible in combating Hamas.

Earlier in the week, Smotrich expressed his frustration publicly by stating that conducting war is unfeasible under current circumstances. He added that even if it may seem just and moral to deprive two million citizens of food until Hamas returns hostages, no nation worldwide would allow such an action.

The US State Department expressed its shock and disapproval of these remarks in a statement to the Times of Israel, denouncing them as being detrimental and unsettling.

According to the statement, President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have continuously emphasized their desire to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and eliminate hindrances that may impede access to aid for Palestinians.

Smotrich’s comments provoked a strong response from EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell, who described the deliberate starvation of civilians as a “war crime”. He also criticized Smotrich for promoting such actions and called his behavior “extremely shameful.”

Borrell stated that Minister Smotrich’s comments exhibit his disregard for international law and essential humanitarian principles. Consequently, we anticipate the Israeli government to plainly dissociate itself from such statements.

David Lammy, the new foreign minister of the UK, added his voice to the outcry by stating on X that “Minister Smotrich’s comments cannot be justified” and called upon the broader Israeli government to renounce and criticize them.

The remarks were deemed “disgraceful” by the French Foreign Ministry, who expressed their strong sense of surprise.

Smotrich’s proposal was met with a reaction from the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, which appealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an arrest warrant against him and urged nations globally to prohibit his entry into their jurisdictions.

The ministry characterized the remarks as a clear confirmation of embracing and boasting about the policy of genocide in Gaza, which is deemed to be an open defiance against global legitimacy resolutions and agreements on safeguarding unarmed populations’ fundamental humanitarian requirements.

Smotrich refuted the global outcry against his remarks, contending that they were distorted and misinterpreted. He emphasized that he does not support depriving Palestinians of sustenance, but rather proposes linking additional assistance to Gaza with Hamas’s release of captives as a prerequisite condition.

Smotrich affirmed his statement and stated that he has adequately clarified the intended meaning, therefore any attempts to misinterpret it would be unfounded.