Confronting Denials That Israel Has Been Blocking Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

Incredibly, there are still people who refuse to believe that Israel has been deliberately preventing humanitarian aid agencies from delivering lifesaving supplies to the civilian population of Gaza.

Never mind how the international humanitarian aid community has been decrying Israel’s intense restrictions on aid for nearly two years now.

This week, I confronted several such individuals in one of my own networks within the health freedom movement.

Since October 2023, I’ve received a lot of flak from people in that movement for speaking out against Israel’s genocide, and thousands of my own newsletter subscribers who were following me because of my work exposing the harms of so-called “public health” policies fled my mailing list after I started writing again, after a several-year hiatus, about the Israel-Palestine conflict, to expose how Israel has been perpetrating a US-backed genocide.

The level of willful ignorance required for someone to disbelieve that Israel has been blocking aid is truly astounding.

In this network I refer to, the topic of Gaza came up, and some individuals expressed disbelief that Israel has been blocking aid, so I remarked, “There is no question, debate, or controversy about the fact that Israel has been blocking aid. Only the most staunchly self-delusional Zionist extremists deny it.”

That comment drew fire from an apologist of Israel’s genocide, who accused,

Jeremy, when you say “There is no question, debate, or controversy about the fact that Israel has been blocking aid. Only the most staunchly self-delusional Zionist extremists deny it,” this is where you not only lose me, Jeremy, but you push me over to the other side.

You make exactly the same arguments that the vaccine pushers do; “there is no debate.”  “Only the delusional extremists believe ___”

I’ve learned that I cannot trust people with that mind set.  I’ve learned that when people use that kind of approach, they don’t want to convince dissenters with facts; they just want to silence them.

To that, I responded,

On the contrary, [name], you are making the exact same argument as the vaccine pushers in this context, because the proper analogy here is that your dismissal of what I’ve said about Israel committing genocide is just like vaccine pushers dismissing the reality of vaccine injuries.

That was yesterday. This morning, I shared the following message with the group to set the record straight:

Correction to my reply from yesterday: the objection raised against me wasn’t even to my description of the crime in Gaza as being genocide but to my mere observation that it is completely uncontroversial and undebatable that Israel has been blocking humanitarian aid. It blows my mind that anyone would try to deny that or criticize me for saying so. It really is akin to someone denying vaccine injuries, to correct the analogy that was made to underly that preposterous criticism. The restriction of aid has been Israel’s openly stated policy from the start.

“I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.” — Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, October 9, 2023

“Human animals must be treated as such. There will be no electricity and no water, there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell.” — Head of Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the [Occupied] Territories (COGAT) Major General Ghassan Alian, October 10, 2023

And the international humanitarian aid community, the international human rights community, and international legal experts have been decrying Israel’s use of starvation as a method of war ever since. A sampling:

“Besides this appalling language that dehumanises the Palestinian people, especially those who have been unlawfully ‘imprisoned’ in Gaza for 16 years, we condemn the withholding of essential supplies such as food, water, electricity and medicines. Such actions will precipitate a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where its population is now at inescapable risk of starvation. Intentional starvation is a crime against humanity.” — Statement by UN Special Rapporteurs, October 12, 2023

“No aid can come in from the outside for the 2.3 million residents of the sealed-off enclave…. Meanwhile, WFP [World Food Programme] stressed that its food assistance stocks were running out and called for urgent aid access.” — United Nations, October 12, 2023

“Starvation is being used as a weapon of war against Gaza civilians…. International Humanitarian Law (IHL) strictly prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare and as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is bound by IHL obligations to provide for the needs and protection of the population of Gaza.” — Oxfam, “Starvation as Weapon of War Being Used against Gaza Civilians”, October 25, 2023

“As part of its ongoing war for the fifth week in a row, Israel has sharply increased in recent hours what can only be described as a war of starvation against civilians in the Gaza Strip in an effort to deepen their difficult living conditions, which has reached catastrophic levels….” — Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, “Israel is Waging an Extensive War of Starvation against Gaza’s Civilian Population”, November 5, 2023

“We will not be able to uphold our commitment to provide for the Palestinian people any longer. I do believe there is a deliberate attempt to strangle our operation and paralyse the UNRWA operation.” — UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, November 16, 2023

“Cutting off Gaza’s food supplies is an affront to fundamental human rights. Even under the pre-existing illegal blockade, access to food and essential goods had been actively cut through infrastructure damage or indirectly through political and trade restrictions. That already difficult situation has been made much worse since the escalation of the conflict. According to the latest data, food deliveries have dwindled alarmingly to a tiny percentage of their previous averages. This stark reduction threatens to push up malnutrition rates sharply among children and the elderly. With the Gaza Strip now under siege for more than a month, the world faces the prospect of watching men, women and children running out of food, dying from thirst, or suffering life-long consequences from malnutrition.” — Oxfam, “The World Cannot Stand by as Starvation Is Used as a Weapon of War in Gaza”, November 19, 2023

“The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the Gaza Strip, which is a war crime. Israeli officials have made public statements expressing their aim to deprive civilians in Gaza of food, water, and fuel – statements reflected in Israeli forces’ military operations.” — Human Rights Watch, “Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza”, December 18, 2023

“Everyone in Gaza is going hungry. About 2.2 million people are surviving day by day on almost nothing, routinely going without meals. The desperate search for food is relentless, and usually unsuccessful, leaving the entire population – including babies, children, pregnant or nursing women and the elderly – hungry…. This reality is not a byproduct of war, but a direct result of Israel’s declared policy.” — Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, “Israel is starving Gaza”, January 2024

“One month after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered ‘immediate and effective measures’ to protect Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip from the risk of genocide by ensuring sufficient humanitarian assistance and enabling basic services, Israel has failed to take even the bare minimum steps to comply…. Not only has Israel created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, but it is also displaying a callous indifference to the fate of Gaza’s population by creating conditions which the ICJ has said places them at imminent risk of genocide. Time and time again, Israel has failed to take the bare minimum steps humanitarians have desperately pleaded for that are clearly within its power to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza…. As the occupying power, under international law, Israel has a clear obligation to ensure the basic needs of Gaza’s population are met. Israel has not only woefully failed to provide for Gazans’ basic needs, but it has also been blocking and impeding the passage of sufficient aid into the Gaza Strip, in particular to the north which is virtually inaccessible, in a clear show of contempt for the ICJ ruling and in flagrant violation of its obligation to prevent genocide. The scale and gravity of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel’s relentless bombardment, destruction and suffocating siege puts more than two million Palestinians of Gaza at risk of irreparable harm.” — Amnesty International, “Israel defying ICJ ruling to prevent genocide by failing to allow adequate humanitarian aid to reach Gaza”, February 26, 2024

“Children in Gaza have been dying from starvation-related complications since the Israeli government began using starvation as a weapon of war, a war crime…. Doctors and families in Gaza described children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration, and hospitals ill-equipped to treat them.” — Human Rights Watch, “Gaza: Israel’s Imposed Starvation Deadly for Children”, April 9, 2024

“The Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt must be immediately reopened, and must allow unfettered aid delivery by recognized international humanitarian organizations.” — Open letter from 99 American medical professionals who served in Gaza to President Biden, October 2, 2024

“With respect to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, the judges of the International Criminal Court have found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each has committed the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare…” — ICC Prosecutor is Mr. Karim A.A. Khan KC, November 21, 2024

“Depriving people of food, water and dignity has been a serious and recurring violation of this war, and it must end. The risk of all-out famine must be averted…. The catastrophic physiological consequences of depriving people of necessary daily calories over time – including hunger, weight loss, malnutrition, dizziness, hallucinations, reproductive damage, organ failure and death – are foreseeable and preventable. These consequences are particularly acute among vulnerable groups, including infants, and pregnant or lactating mothers…. No one should have to suffer the humiliation of being forced to beg for food, and especially not when there are ample supplies waiting to be provided.” — UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Alice Jill Edwards, July 30, 2025

“The GHF, a non-governmental organisation created by Israel in February 2025, with US support, to allegedly distribute aid in Gaza, is an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law…. Israeli forces and foreign military contractors continue to open indiscriminate fire on people seeking aid at so-called “distribution sites” operated by GHF, since it was set up to take-over functions previously performed by United Nations agencies, most notably UNRWA, the UN’s aid agency for Palestinian refugees…. Blocking or delaying aid is not just inhumane – it is a war crime where it is intended to starve civilians and in the context of a well-documented and globally denounced genocide…. The credibility and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance must be restored by dismantling the GHF, holding it and its executives accountable, and allowing experienced and humanitarian actors from the UN and civil society alike to take back the reins of managing and distributing lifesaving aid.” — UN Special Rapporteurs, August 5, 2025

I could go on with so much more, but I trust that suffices to demonstrate the truth of the statement for which I was so absurdly criticized. As I also said, the only people denying that Israel has been blocking aid are the extreme Zionist apologists of Israel’s crimes against humanity. We have some of those in this group. Dear [name omitted; a Holocaust survivor], too, was ridiculously accused by one of them of being “deceived by propaganda against Israel” for speaking out against Israel’s genocide, just as the same individual repeatedly leveled the ridiculous accusation of “anti-Semitism” against me for criticizing Israel and the US government’s support for its crimes against humanity, which is the height of intellectual dishonesty and moral cowardice. This level of willful ignorance is very much like public vaccine apologists gaslighting parents of vaccine injured children, and defending Israel’s assault on the civilian population of Gaza is unbecoming of anyone who claims to be a defender of children and human rights.

After sending that email to the group, I happened to see the following clip on X from economist Bob Murphy interviewing Scott Horton, director of The Libertarian Institute, where I am a research fellow. Horton explains how the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians attempting to retrieve aid from the Israel-controlled GHF “distribution sites”.

Here are a few excerpts from the Haaretz article, titled “‘It’s a Killing Field’: IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid“:

Israeli soldiers in Gaza told Haaretz that the army has deliberately fired at Palestinians near aid distribution sites over the past month.

Conversations with officers and soldiers reveal that commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear they posed no threat.

. . . The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid centers began operating in the Strip at the end of May. The circumstances of the foundation’s establishment and its funding are murky: it is known to have been set up by Israel in coordination with U.S. evangelicals and private security contractors. Its current CEO is an evangelical leader close to U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

. . . “It’s a killing field,” one soldier said. “Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They’re treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars. Then, once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire.”

The soldier added, “We open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away, and sometimes we just charge at them from close range. But there’s no danger to the forces.” According to him, “I’m not aware of a single instance of return fire. There’s no enemy, no weapons.” He also said the activity in his area of service is referred to as Operation Salted Fish – the name of the Israeli version of the children’s game “Red light, green light”.

. . . “At night, we open fire to signal to the population that this is a combat zone and they mustn’t come near,” the officer said. “Once,” he recounted, “the mortars stopped firing, and we saw people starting to approach. So we resumed fire to make it clear they weren’t allowed to. In the end, one of the shells landed on a group of people.”

In other cases, he said, “We fired machine guns from tanks and threw grenades. There was one incident where a group of civilians was hit while advancing under the cover of fog. It wasn’t intentional, but these things happen.”

. . . In one incident, the soldier was instructed to fire a shell toward a crowd gathered near the coastline. “Technically, it’s supposed to be warning fire – either to push people back or stop them from advancing,” he said. “But lately, firing shells has just become standard practice. Every time we fire, there are casualties and deaths, and when someone asks why a shell is necessary, there’s never a good answer. Sometimes, merely asking the question annoys the commanders.”

In that case, some people began to flee after the shell was fired, and according to the soldier, other forces subsequently opened fire on them. “If it’s meant to be a warning shot, and we see them running back to Gaza, why shoot at them?” he asked. “Sometimes we’re told they’re still hiding, and we need to fire in their direction because they haven’t left. But it’s obvious they can’t leave if the moment they get up and run, we open fire.”

. . . “I was at a similar event. From what we heard, more than ten people were killed there,” said another senior reserve officer commanding forces in the area. “When we asked why they opened fire, we were told it was an order from above and that the civilians had posed a threat to the troops. I can say with certainty that the people were not close to the forces and did not endanger them. It was pointless – they were just killed, for nothing. This thing called killing innocent people – it’s been normalized. We were constantly told there are no noncombatants in Gaza, and apparently that message sank in among the troops.”

. . . Another senior officer familiar with the fighting in Gaza said the normalization of killing civilians has often encouraged firing at them near the aid distribution centers.

“The fact that live fire is directed at a civilian population – whether with artillery, tanks, snipers, or drones – goes against everything the army is supposed to stand for,” he said, criticizing the decisions made on the ground. “Why are people collecting food being killed just because they stepped out of line, or because some commander doesn’t like that they’re cutting in? Why have we reached a point where a teenager is willing to risk his life just to pull a sack of rice off a truck? And that’s who we’re firing artillery at?”

If you’re looking for an antidote to the Zionist propaganda narratives regurgitated by the US mainstream media that serve to manufacture consent for the US government’s support for Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity, read my book Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, described by Scott Horton as “the definitive scholarly account of the American role in the entire disaster.”

Order a hardcover or paperback directly from me here for less than retail.

And if you’re new to the controversy surrounding vaccines and would like to understand why so many parents—like myself—are choosing not to comply with the CDC’s routine childhood vaccination schedule, read my book The War on Informed Consent, featuring a Foreword by the current Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Order a hardcover directly from me here for less than retail.