The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is one of the most intentional and organized starvation efforts in recent history. This is not just a consequence of war but a planned strategy to destroy the Palestinian people by cutting off their food and essentials. Experts from the United Nations, human rights groups, and even U.S. military veterans have shown strong evidence that Israel is purposely starving the 2.3 million people living in Gaza, an act that counts as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
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A U.S. Special Forces Veteran Speaks Out
Lieutenant Colonel Tony Aguilar, a retired U.S. Special Forces Green Beret with 25 years of military service and a Purple Heart, has shared powerful firsthand testimony about Israel’s organized violence against starving Palestinians. After working for 45 days helping to distribute aid in Gaza with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Aguilar quit early because what he saw crossed his “moral threshold.”
“This is not an exaggeration. It’s not propaganda. It’s not just health officials in Gaza saying this. It’s my own eyes that have seen it,” Aguilar told Senator Bernie Sanders in a detailed testimony.
Key Points from Aguilar’s Testimony
Full Israeli Military Control:
- The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) control every part of how aid is distributed in Gaza.
- They decide which locations receive aid, when deliveries happen, how much aid is given out, and exactly what kind of aid is allowed.
- Aguilar emphasized, “IDF controlled and directed every (single) part of aid delivery.”
Repeated Violence Against Hungry Palestinians:
- Aguilar described aid distribution as similar to “The Hunger Games,” where only those who are strongest and fastest receive aid, while others get nothing.
- Children, women, and disabled people are regularly left without food because they cannot compete with others in the crowd.
- Palestinians trying to get aid are often met with violence, including being shot at, sprayed with pepper spray, attacked with tear gas, and hit with rubber bullets.
- This violence happens every day at every aid distribution site.
Recorded Killings During Aid Distribution:
- On May 29, 2025, at Site 4, Aguilar saw a contractor fire his weapon into the crowd, shouting “Woohoo!” Another contractor commented, “I think you got one.” The shooter replied, “Hell yeah, boy.” A Palestinian man collapsed and did not get up; Aguilar believes he died.
- On June 2, 2025, at Site 1 in Rafa, a contractor threw a stun grenade into the crowd; its metal fuse hit a Palestinian woman’s head, and she instantly fell to the ground, lifeless. Her body was later removed in a donkey cart under orders.
Deaths That Could Have Been Prevented:
- Aguilar’s group warned Israeli supervisors on May 28 that Site 3 was unsafe, and people could die without changes.
- Their warnings were ignored.
- On July 16, 2025, exactly 20 Palestinians died at this site when crowds were killed in chaos and crush.
- Aguilar said, “Those deaths are on us, the Americans, because we are supporting these actions.”
Understanding Starvation in Gaza
The Reality of Hunger:
- Since October 2023, Gaza has suffered one of the most rapid and complete starvation crises in recent history.
- Michael Fakhri, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, said, “Never in post-war history has an entire population been made to suffer hunger so quickly and so completely as the 2.3 million people in Gaza.”
Starvation by the Numbers:
- Around 470,000 people in Gaza (about 22% of the population) are facing deadly hunger.
- One in three people regularly goes without food for days.
- Over 20,000 children have been treated for severe malnutrition since April 2024.
- Since October 2023, 227 people in Gaza have died from malnutrition, including 103 children.
- In July 2025 alone, 16 children younger than five died due to hunger-related causes.
- Nearly the entire population of Gaza, 2.3 million people, face extreme food shortages and insecurity.
- By the end of 2023, Palestinians in Gaza made up 80% of all famine victims in the world, and yet Gaza is less than 0.03% of the global population.
Aguilar personally saw parents carrying their dead children, who died of starvation, not wounds or illness.
Israel’s Open Plan to Starve Gaza
High-ranking Israeli officials have openly stated their aim to completely cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel from Gaza:
- Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on October 9, 2023, “We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly.”
- Energy Minister Israel Katz said aid delivery would depend on hostage releases.
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for ending all supply lines to Gaza.
These statements, confirmed by Human Rights Watch and other groups, clearly show an intentional effort to use starvation as a weapon in war, which is illegal under international law.
The Complete Blockade of Gaza
Israel has enforced a full blockade that cuts off:
- Electricity
- Water treatment
- Fuel (needed by hospitals and water systems)
- Communication systems
- Humanitarian aid completely stopped for 80 days straight
Aid organizations trying to help face political restrictions, and many have been blocked or forced to comply with new rules that make delivering aid nearly impossible.
The Deadly “Hunger Games” of Aid Distribution
Aid delivery conditions are cruel and deadly:
- People in Gaza must walk 8 to 12 kilometers on foot through active war zones, with many lacking shoes or proper clothing.
- Only the strongest and fastest people get food.
- Violence is regularly used at aid sites, including shooting, pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets are common.
- Medical supplies and clean water are in short supply.
- Aguilar said this system is not feeding people but starving them more.
Destroying Gaza’s Food and Water Sources
Israel has systematically destroyed:
- Farms, orchards, greenhouses, and fishing boats
- Water treatment and food processing facilities
- Markets, bakeries, and food storage places
This has made Palestinians totally dependent on outside aid, which Israel then controls and uses as a weapon.
The Rising Death Toll Among Children
Many children have died from hunger and malnutrition. A doctor described how parents crush potatoes to create food for their starving children because nothing else is available. UNICEF warns that malnutrition is spreading rapidly among children and demands their protection.
Legal Experts Say It’s Genocide and War Crimes
Multiple United Nations experts have declared that Israel’s actions meet the definition of genocide. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for top Israeli officials because starving a population, targeting civilians, blocking aid, and collective punishment are war crimes.
U.S. Taxpayers Are Funding This
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its security contractors, paid with U.S. taxpayer money, are involved in the violent, militarized aid process. Aguilar explained this is not how Americans should act, and that starving and shooting hungry people breaks American values. Yet the U.S. keeps giving military and financial help to Israel.
Technology’s Role in the Crisis
Major technology companies Google and Amazon offer cloud computing and AI services to Israel’s military through Project Nimbus, technologies used to help control and target Palestinians in Gaza.
The World Must Act Now
- Over 25 countries condemn the blockade.
- Some countries have taken Israel to international courts for genocide.
- More than 100 humanitarian groups want to end the weaponization of aid.
- But powerful countries, including the U.S., still supply Israel with help.
The Bigger Plan: Forcing Palestinians Out
The starvation and destruction also seem aimed at forcing Palestinians to leave Gaza permanently. Israeli officials have talked about relocating Gaza’s population to other countries, continuing the ethnic cleansing known as the Nakba that began in 1948.
What Must Be Done Immediately
- Stop sending weapons to Israel.
- Open Gaza’s borders to allow humanitarian aid.
- Hold Israeli leaders accountable for war crimes.
- Cancel contracts like Project Nimbus and boycott companies supporting military actions.
- Support veterans who speak out against these crimes.
Final Thoughts
The starvation crisis in Gaza is a planned genocide, proven by eyewitness accounts, legal experts, and humanitarian reports. Colonel Tony Aguilar’s brave testimony reveals how aid is used as a weapon. The world must act before more innocent people, including children, suffer or die.
Palestinians are human beings, and all have the right to live with dignity and food security, not to be destroyed by starvation. Silence is no longer acceptable. We should not remain silent if, as humans, we cannot raise our voices for other humans who are being oppressed and killed for someone’s evil motives.
Sources Used
Primary Eyewitness Testimony:
- Aguilar, Tony (Lt. Colonel, Retired). Testimony to Senator Bernie Sanders. “Former U.S. Special Ops: What I Saw in Gaza.” July 31, 2025. YouTube.
United Nations Reports:
- UN News: “Record starvation and malnutrition in Gaza; more West Bank displacement” Aug 12, 2025. (Link)
- BBC News: “New Israeli rules stopping critical aid getting into Gaza, charities say” Aug 14, 2025. (Link)
- World Food Programme (WFP): “Risk of famine across all of Gaza, new report says.” May 12, 2025. (Link)
- UN News: “‘Famine silently begins to unfold’ in Gaza, UNRWA chief says.” July 24, 2025. (Link)
- World Food Programme (WFP): “New Gaza food security assessment sees famine risk persisting amid ongoing fighting and restricted aid operations.” October 17, 2024 (Link)
- NRC: “Gaza: Israel threatens to ban major aid organizations as starvation deepens.” Aug 13, 2025 (Link)
Human Rights Reports and Legal Analysis:
- Human Rights Watch: “Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza.” December 18, 2023 (Link)
- UN Special Committee: “UN Special Committee finds Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza consistent with genocide, including use of starvation as a weapon of war.” November 14, 2024. (Link)
- International Commission of Jurists: “Israel must immediately stop its criminal forcible displacement in Gaza.” June 30, 2025 (Link)
- Amnesty International: “Gaza: Evidence points to Israel’s continued use of starvation to inflict genocide against Palestinians.” July 3, 2025 (Link)
Additional Reports and Articles:
- ReliefWeb: “Israeli Supreme Court decision legitimises starvation, genocide in Gaza Strip.” Mar 28, 2025 (Link)
- Verfassungsblog: “Respect for International Law in Gaza.” July 23, 2025 (Link)
- Al Jazeera Opinion: “How US Big Tech supports Israel’s AI-powered genocide and apartheid.” May 12, 2024 (Link)
- Wired: “The Hidden Ties Between Google and Amazon’s Project Nimbus and Israel’s Military” July 15, 2024 (Link)
News Articles:
- Al Jazeera: “More than 100 groups blast Israel’s weaponization of aid as Gaza starves.” August 14, 2025. (Link)
- Times of Israel: “Heavy scrutiny and regulations block tons of aid from entering Gaza, groups claim.” August 14, 2025 (Link)
Legal and Academic Analyses:
- The Conversation: “Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? International court will take years to decide, but states have a duty to act now.” August 15, 2025 (Link)
- TWAILR: “The UN Special Rapporteur’s Report on starvation and genocide in Gaza.” Oct 14, 2024 (Link)
