The deliberate starvation of Gaza’s population by Israel marks a dangerous and unprecedented act of collective punishment, according to Issam Youssef, head of the Global Popular Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza. In a stark statement to Snd news agency, Youssef described the deprivation of food and medicine as a war crime and a crime against humanity, calling for immediate international action to end the suffering of over two million besieged Palestinians.

“This is not just a crisis,” Youssef warned. “It is a systematic policy of extermination.” He urged the international community, as well as Arab and Islamic nations, to use all legal and humanitarian means to force an end to Israel’s blockade and prevent further loss of life. Since the complete closure of Gaza’s crossings on March 2, Israel has halted all aid, fuel, and food from entering the Strip, pushing 65,000 people into acute malnutrition. The official death toll from starvation has already reached 57, mostly children, and continues to rise daily.

Youssef also condemned Israel’s drone strike on the Global Conscience ship—part of the Freedom Flotilla—as it sailed through international waters en route to Gaza. The vessel, which carried 30 peace activists and departed from Tunisia, was hit by multiple airstrikes off the coast of Malta. While no casualties were reported, the attack was denounced as a violation of international law and an assault on sovereign nations.

With Gaza’s health infrastructure in ruins, famine spreading, and humanitarian convoys being bombed at sea, the region teeters on the edge of catastrophe. “Israeli arrogance,” Youssef said, “has crossed every red line, defying international norms and moral values.” The world is now faced with a stark choice: intervene, or become complicit in one of the darkest chapters of modern history.