Israel Orders Total Siege of Gaza as International Legal Experts Warn

Gallant’s directive—summarized by his statement that "there will be no electricity, no food, no fuel"—targets a territory already under a long-standing land, air, and sea blockade. By labeling those within the enclave as "human animals," the minister’s rhetoric has intensified concerns among human rights observers. Tom Dannenbaum, a legal scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, stated that the order constitutes a "massive war crime" under International Criminal Court statutes, specifically citing the prohibition of collective punishment and the use of starvation as a weapon of warfare.

Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, echoed these concerns, calling the policy "abhorrent" and noting that the deprivation of basic necessities for a civilian population is fundamentally unlawful. These developments follow a weekend of violence that saw over 700 people killed in Hamas’ initial attack and at least 500 deaths in Gaza resulting from subsequent Israeli airstrikes. As Israel prepares for a potential ground invasion, the humanitarian situation for the two million residents of Gaza—roughly half of whom are children—continues to deteriorate, with over 120,000 already displaced by the current bombardment.