Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, has said starvation in Gaza is a “man-made” famine.

“What we are seeing now in Gaza is the most horrific stage of Israel’s starvation campaign,” Fakhri told Al Jazeera.

In March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enforced a total blockade on food and aid entering the Strip, which lasted until mid-May. Since then, the Israeli army has allowed only a tiny amount of aid into the Strip while killing civilians trying to get food, Fakhri said.

“This is the worst-case scenario of people being denied what they need to survive — so it’s not just denial of food, but water and healthcare … From a legal perspective, what we do know undoubtedly is that this is a case of starvation which is a war crime,” he added.

The UN rapporteur underlined that the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November for “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October until at least 20 May, 2024” — allegations that are partly related to the use of starvation.

He said the arrest warrants “create a legal obligation: Countries must act to stop starvation.”