Israeli minister argues there’s a “moral” case for starving every Gazan to death

On 5 August, Israel finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said “it might be justified and moral” for Israel to “cause two million civilians to die of hunger” in Gaza, but “nobody will let us”.

Smotrich made the comments at the Katif Annual Conference in Yad Binyamin in central Israel. He said that blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza was a better way of securing the return of the 111 detainees that Hamas still holds, rather than a deal.

Israel: ceasefire deals

Netanyahu has stalled the present discussions over a ceasefire by taking a hardline approach. Yet it was a week long ceasefire in November that secured the return of 105 Israeli detainees in exchange for around 240 Palestinian detainees.

And significantly, there was a peace deal in early May that provided the release of all Israeli detainees in exchange for a number of Palestinian detainees. In its final stage, the deal included an end to Israel’s siege of Gaza, ongoing since 1967.

Smotrich and other far right Israelis no doubt oppose any deal that includes this progressive step towards lasting peace. Because Smotrich outright wants Israel to colonise Gaza, along with the rest of Palestine. Although, he claims this is not a military objective.

The May proposal did not mention Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It’s unclear how longterm peace is possible without an end to the whole occupation. Hamas agreed to the deal, but Israel rejected it.

Blocking aid trucks into Gaza

Smotrich’s flagrant defence of starving Palestinian civilians to death comes after the International Criminal Court announced it is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant. Among the charges is “the use of starvation as a method of warfare”.

In late June, Al Jazeera reported that “no aid trucks have entered Gaza for weeks”. Israeli restrictions on aid into Gaza are ongoing in August. Humanitarian groups and the UN have long said that Palestinians in Gaza need 500-600 aid trucks daily.

The IPC, which informs the UN and other bodies, found that “famine is imminent as 1.1 million people, half of Gaza, experience catastrophic food insecurity”.

But, instead of enabling enough aid to enter Gaza, Israel brought in a truck on 5 August with the bodies of 80 Palestinians. There was no mention of how or why they were killed.

Israel’s genocide has continued apace. The expansionist state bombed three Palestinian schools in one week, killing dozens more.

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