Israeli elites call for sanctions over Gaza genocide
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Graphic images of starving children and mass death push Israeli artists, officials, and US Jewish leaders to condemn "Israel’s" war as genocidal.
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Israeli activists take part in a protest against the war on the Gaza Strip, "Israel's" measures regarding food distribution and the forced displacement of Palestinians outside of the U.S. Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP)
In a striking act of moral dissent, a coalition of Israeli figures, including artists, scientists, legal experts, and former political leaders, has issued a public call for the international community to impose crippling sanctions on "Israel". Published in The Guardian, the letter represents a rare and historic breach in the tightly enforced Israeli public consensus surrounding the war on Gaza.
Among the signatories are former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, ex-Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair, and known filmmaker Samuel Maoz. Their appeal accuses the Israeli entity of “starving the people of Gaza to death” and warns of a campaign contemplating the forced displacement of Palestinians.
“The international community must impose crippling sanctions on Israel until it ends this brutal campaign and implements a permanent ceasefire,” the signatories declared, urging concrete international action in response to what they describe as a systematic starvation policy.
Breaking a taboo
The letter marks a profound rupture, not only for its explicit language but for openly endorsing punitive measures against "Israel", a stance that directly confronts harsh internal legislative efforts seeking to suppress such criticism.
Their statement comes amid mounting horror over graphic footage of starving Palestinian children and reports of Israeli occupation forces opening fire on starved Palestinians at food aid distribution sites. The appeal coincided with new figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry, which now puts the death toll at over 60,000 Palestinians in the 21-month genocide.
Adding further weight, two major Israeli NGOs, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, publicly stated for the first time that "Israel’s" military conduct in Gaza meets the definition of genocidal policy. The acknowledgment marks a significant break in the longstanding silence of major Israeli institutions.
American Jewish leaders speak out
Joining the wave of criticism, the US Reform Movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the United States, issued a powerful statement on Sunday holding "Israel" responsible for the famine in Gaza.
“No one should be unaffected by the pervasive hunger experienced by thousands of Gazans,” the movement said. “Blocking food, water, medicine, and power, especially for children, is indefensible.”
The group rejected deflections that shift blame onto Hamas, asserting that the Israeli entity bears direct responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe. “Let us rise to the moral challenge of this moment,” the statement concluded.
A crumbling consensus
This surge in internal dissent comes as international outrage intensifies over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Graphic evidence of widespread starvation, mass civilian casualties, and the collapse of basic infrastructure has ignited a global outcry. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently described the military campaign in Rafah as tantamount to ethnic cleansing, amplifying the perception of a fractured Israeli establishment.
While these calls for accountability grow, the Israeli entity is escalating its global media efforts to deflect responsibility. Officials have launched aggressive messaging campaigns aimed at questioning the famine’s existence, downplaying civilian suffering, and blaming Hamas or aid agencies for the crisis, all in an effort to shield themselves from growing international condemnation.
Yet despite Tel Aviv’s denials, dozens of governments, UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations continue to hold "Israel" responsible for the deliberate starvation and forced displacement unfolding in Gaza.
As dissent spreads from within, the groundwork may be forming for deeper legal, diplomatic, and political consequences abroad, signaling a potential shift in how the world engages with "Israel’s" genocide in Gaza.
Read next: Killing by blockade: 'Israel' starves Gazans, then deflects or denies
