Israeli university heads urge Netanyahu to end Gaza starvation

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

The heads of five major Israeli universities on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the starvation in Gaza, warning of catastrophic consequences for civilians, including infants.

In a letter reported by the daily Israel Hayom, the signatories – Weizmann Institute President Alon Chen, Hebrew University President Asher Cohen, Technion President Uri Sivan, Tel Aviv University President Ariel Porat, and Open University President Leo Corry – said they were “shocked” by the humanitarian toll in the Palestinian enclave.

“Like many Israelis, we are horrified by the scenes from Gaza, including infants dying every day from hunger and disease,” the letter reads.

The university presidents pressed Netanyahu to address “the severe hunger overwhelming Gaza, which is taking a heavy toll on civilians uninvolved in the conflict, including children and infants.”

They voiced alarm over incendiary remarks by Israeli ministers and Knesset members calling for Gaza’s destruction.

“As a people who endured the horrors of the Holocaust, we also bear a responsibility to use every means at our disposal to prevent cruel and indiscriminate harm to innocent men, women and children,” they wrote.

The letter also criticized statements by Israeli officials suggesting the use of nuclear weapons, the complete denial of food, and the expulsion of Palestinians.

“We expect you and the government to unequivocally condemn these dangerous remarks,” they said, adding that such calls amount to “war crimes and crimes against humanity” under international law.

The university heads further warned against reported Israeli plans to build a so‑called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, likening it to World War II concentration camps. They said such a move would cause “irreparable damage” to Israel’s moral standing.

International observers have warned that the proposed camp would confine Palestinians and deprive them of food to force mass migration abroad.

Also on Monday, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher warned that one in every three Palestinians in Gaza had not eaten for days, urging the immediate delivery of aid.

The Gaza government media office said more than 40,000 infants aged under 1 face slow death due to Israel’s blockade preventing baby formula from entering for more than 150 days. It called for the unconditional opening of border crossings and held Israel and its allies fully responsible for the crisis.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 147 Palestinians, including 88 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since October 2023.

On Sunday, the Israeli army announced limited humanitarian airdrops and what it described as a “tactical pause” in certain parts of Gaza to allow deliveries. Aid agencies, however, dismissed the move as “false relief,” saying Israel continues to weaponize hunger by blocking overland aid since early March.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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