Independent human rights experts have been reporting on Israel’s many flagrant breaches of international humanitarian law since at least 2024. These breaches include crimes against humanity including murder, torture, sexual violence, and repeated forced displacement amounting to forcible transfer, war crimes encompassing indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and educational institutions and cultural heritage, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, the targeting of healthcare workers and health facilities, attacks on humanitarian workers, arbitrary restrictions on access to humanitarian aid, and attacks on journalists, collective punishment and perfidy.

Baby showing unmistakable signs of advanced malnutrition filmes by BBC colleague

Gaza’s population of around 2.1 million Palestinians is at “critical risk” of famine and faces “extreme levels of food insecurity” as an Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid continues. Israel has prevented food, medication and other aid from entering Gaza for 70 days, saying it is putting pressure on Hamas to release its remaining hostages.

The result is that half a million people – or one in five – are facing starvation in Gaza. Nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next 11 months to April 2026.

Yet Israeli politicians live in denial. BBC journalist Fergal Keane spoke in May to Boaz Bismuth, a leading member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. He denies there is an aid crisis caused by the blockade.

Boaz Bismuth

“There is food in Gaza… Israel wouldn’t do such a restriction if the population didn’t have food. I mean, I know my country perfectly well,” he said.

I put it to Bismuth that he was denying the evidence of people’s eyes, that children were starving.

“There are not starving children. I repeat again.” He said that there had been allegations months ago of famine, ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza “which was crap”.

“Nothing has really changed because we’re Israel, and we obey not only international law, but also humanitarian law.”

Now Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has said a new “intensified” offensive in Gaza will involve Israeli troops holding on to seized territory and significant displacement of the population. This would be one further breach of international humanitarian law.

A spokesperson for António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General said: “This will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza. Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state.”

It is not just Israel that is responsible for these terrible crimes. Many states have failed to criticise Israel, have failed to impose sanctions or cut off their supplies of arms. The world needs to take urgent action now.