Starvation as a Weapon of War: From Yarmouk to Gaza
Deliberate starvation has long been used as a systematic weapon of war to subjugate and control targeted populations. In Syria, the Assad regime committed this crime over the past decade, besieging multiple areas — including Madaya and Yarmouk Camp in southern Damascus — leading to catastrophic humanitarian suffering. Today, we are witnessing the use of enforced starvation in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, in blatant violation of international law.
Starvation tactics include total sieges, preventing the entry of food and clean water, cutting electricity, and obstructing humanitarian aid. During the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza — much like what Syrians and Palestinians endured between 2013 and 2014 — enforced starvation has been deployed as a tool of death, political coercion, and psychological warfare.
Despite the differing political contexts in Palestine and Syria, the use of starvation as a weapon of war has left devastating humanitarian consequences. What Israel is implementing in Gaza, as the Assad regime once did in Syria, constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law — amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This episode of Oyoun ElKalam examines the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Syria and Gaza. From the siege of Yarmouk Camp to the ongoing blockade on Gaza, the episode highlights how deliberate hunger has been deployed to control and punish civilian populations. Guest speakers include legal investigator Marianna Karkoutly and Palestinian human rights lawyer Dalia Qumsieh, founder of Balasan, who unpack the legal, humanitarian, and historical dimensions of this tactic — and stress the importance of documenting survivor testimonies.