Prominent Israelis urge global sanctions on Israel over Gaza starvation

A group of 31 prominent Israeli public figures, including acclaimed artists, academics, and intellectuals, has issued a stark call for the international community to impose “crippling sanctions” on Israel in response to what they describe as the country’s brutal campaign in Gaza.

In an open letter published by The Guardian, the signatories condemned the Israeli government for “starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the strip.”

The letter further urged the imposition of severe international measures until Israel ends the offensive and agrees to a permanent ceasefire.

Among those who signed the letter are notable figures such as Academy Award-winning filmmaker Yuval Abraham, former Israeli Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair, and Avraham Burg, a former speaker of the Knesset and ex-chair of the Jewish Agency. Also included are Israel Prize laureates, acclaimed poet Aharon Shabtai, renowned painter Michal Na’aman, and choreographer Inbal Pinto.

The letter is a rare and bold step within Israeli society, where legislation has long been used to discourage calls for international pressure against the state.

The move reflects a growing wave of concern among Israelis and within the global Jewish diaspora over the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.

The call comes as Gaza’s health ministry reports that more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 21-month war.

The ongoing violence and blockade have led to widespread starvation, with harrowing images of emaciated children and reports of Israeli forces opening fire on civilians at aid distribution sites drawing international outrage.

This internal criticism is also echoed by major Israeli human rights organisations.

On Monday, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel released reports that, for the first time, described Israel’s actions in Gaza as part of a “genocidal” policy.

The condemnation has extended beyond Israel. The Reform movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the United States, stated this week that the Israeli government was “culpable” for the famine in Gaza.

In a powerful statement, the movement said: "No one should be unaffected by the pervasive hunger experienced by thousands of Gazans. No one should spend the bulk of their time arguing technical definitions between starvation and pervasive hunger."

"The situation is dire, and it is deadly. Nor should we accept arguments that because Hamas is the primary reason many Gazans are either starving or on the verge of starving, that the Jewish state is not also culpable in this human disaster. The primary moral response must begin with anguished hearts in the face of such a large-scale human tragedy. Blocking food, water, medicine, and power – especially for children – is indefensible. Let us not allow our grief to harden into indifference, nor our love for Israel to blind us to the cries of the vulnerable. Let us rise to the moral challenge of this moment," added the statement.

Earlier this month, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also expressed alarm, saying that Israel’s proposed construction of a “humanitarian city” in Rafah would be akin to building a concentration camp, and forcing Palestinians into it would constitute ethnic cleansing.

Despite mounting international and internal pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials have denied the existence of famine in Gaza.

This denial comes in the face of assessments from global monitors, including the United Nations' Integrated Food Security Phase Classification mechanism, and even U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent acknowledgment of “real starvation” in the region.

The Israeli government has yet to respond to the recent statements and the call for sanctions.