Amnesty International on Monday condemned Israel’s starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, claiming that this is the outcome of a deliberate Israeli policy.

According to Amnesty International, the levels of hunger and disease reached in Gaza are not merely a result of Israel’s military operations, but a deliberate policy of genocide against the Palestinians. Erika Guevara Rosas, senior director for research and advocacy at Amnesty International, stated:

As Israeli authorities threaten to launch a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City, the testimonies we have collected are far more than accounts of suffering, they are a searing indictment of an international system that has granted Israel a license to torment Palestinians with near-total impunity for decades.

Guevara Rosas urged an immediate lifting of Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid, and a sustained ceasefire. Other important steps to reversing the dire effects of Israeli policies include allowing humanitarian organizations to operate in Gaza, equipping healthcare facilities with supplies, and stopping the mass displacement of civilians.

Amnesty International conducted interviews with 19 Palestinians in several camps and with medical staff members in Gaza. The interviews highlighted the catastrophic impact of Israel’s blockade and starvation policy against children, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, older people, and pregnant women.

One of the persons interviewed was a four-month pregnant mother who said, “I panic just thinking about the potential impact of my own hunger on the baby’s health… [A]nd even if the baby is born healthy, what life awaits it, amidst displacement, bombs, tents…?”

According to reports by the organization Save the Children, 40 percent of pregnant or breastfeeding women who sought help in their clinics in Gaza were malnourished. Children are also among the most affected, with nearly one in five children under the age of five in Gaza City acutely malnourished.

Several UN agencies have already condemned the use of starvation as a weapon of war. With reports of casualties near Israeli-imposed aid sites, rights organizations have already highlighted the need for a neutral and UN-backed aid mechanism in Gaza. The blockade has been condemned by the European Union, with UN agencies also calling for the dismantlement of the US and Israeli-backed aid distribution group. As Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, the human rights violations caused by Israeli policies continue to rise.