Over 1,000 rabbis accuse Israel of weaponizing hunger

An open letter urges an end to the blockade of Gaza

More than 1,000 rabbis from around the world have accused Israel of weaponizing hunger in Gaza and urged West Jerusalem to allow aid into the enclave.

According to UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini, around 90,000 women and children are suffering from malnutrition in what relief groups describe as a man-made famine caused by the Israeli blockade.

Rabbis and Jewish scholars from the US, UK, EU, and Israel signed an open letter declaring that the Jewish people “face a grave moral crisis.”

“The severe limitation placed on humanitarian relief in Gaza, and the policy of withholding food, water, and medical supplies from a needy civilian population, contradict essential values of Judaism as we understand it,” the letter read.

The rabbis called on Israel to allow “extensive humanitarian aid” while preventing diversion to Hamas and demanded that Israel “work urgently by all routes possible to bring home all the hostages and end the fighting.”

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The letter, published on Friday, surpassed 1,000 signatures by early Monday. Jonathan Wittenberg, a UK-based rabbi, told The Jewish Chronicle last week that he was leading a campaign to break through “the callous indifference to starvation” and appeal to “the moral reputation not just of Israel, but of Judaism itself.”

Israel has blamed poor international coordination and Hamas, which it accuses of stealing food and attacking distribution points. Israeli officials argue that the armed group is using the “famine narrative” as leverage in hostage talks.

West Jerusalem has pledged to “improve the humanitarian response,” resuming food airdrops and implementing “tactical pauses” over the weekend to allow more than 100 trucks to deliver supplies to Gaza. Lazzarini, however, dismissed the measures as “a smokescreen,” accusing Israel of “whitewashing its image.” He insisted that Israel should instead unblock access for 6,000 aid trucks waiting to enter the enclave.