A group of prominent Israeli figures, including academics, artists, and intellectuals, has urged global authorities to impose severe sanctions on Israel in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The letter, signed by 31 individuals and published in *CuriosityNews*, includes notable names such as Yuval Abraham, an Academy Award winner; Michael Ben-Yair, a former attorney general; Avraham Burg, a former parliamentary speaker and ex-head of the Jewish Agency; and several recipients of the prestigious Israel Prize, the nation’s highest cultural honor.
The signatories—comprising journalists, poets, scientists, and scholars—accuse Israel of causing widespread starvation in Gaza and considering the mass displacement of Palestinians.
They state: “The international community must enforce strict sanctions until Israel halts this destructive campaign and establishes a lasting ceasefire.”
The letter stands out for its sharp critique of Israel and its challenge to the national taboo against supporting punitive global measures. Israeli politicians have previously moved to penalize advocates of such actions.
Other signers include painter Michal Na’aman; Ra’anan Alexandrowicz, a documentary filmmaker; Samuel Maoz, director of the Golden Lion-winning film Lebanon; poet Aharon Shabtai; and choreographer Inbal Pinto.
Growing international outrage over Israel’s military actions in Gaza is also resonating within Israel and the global Jewish community, particularly amid reports of severe malnutrition among Palestinian children and incidents of Israeli forces firing on civilians seeking food.
The letter was released as Gaza’s health ministry reported over 60,000 Palestinian deaths in the 21-month conflict.
Recently, two prominent Israeli rights organizations, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, published reports accusing Israel of pursuing a genocidal policy in Gaza—a rare and contentious claim.
Additionally, the US-based Reform movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the country, stated that Israel bears responsibility for Gaza’s escalating famine.
“The widespread hunger in Gaza must provoke universal concern,” they said. “Endless debates over technical distinctions between starvation and extreme hunger are unproductive—this is an urgent, life-threatening crisis. While Hamas shares blame for the suffering, Israel cannot evade accountability for this humanitarian catastrophe.”
“Denying food, water, medicine, and electricity—especially to children—is unjustifiable.”
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