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In the realm of game theory, players act strategically to maximize their outcomes. But when the game is war and the objective is domination, the strategies employed can become not only ruthless but genocidal.
Israel's deliberate starvation of Gaza, now recognized by over 100 humanitarian organizations as a form of mass extermination, fits disturbingly well into a game-theoretic framework-where the logic of coercion, deterrence, and payoff manipulation is used to justify the destruction of an entire population.
According to Amnesty International, humanitarian workers themselves are now joining food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families. The siege has led to the deaths of over 111 people from starvation and malnutrition, with thousands more injured or displaced. This is coercion at its most brutal-where the cost of resistance is not just political or military, but existential.
This defiance is not a breakdown of logic-it is a calculated move. By ignoring international norms and legal threats, Netanyahu's government signals to adversaries and allies alike that it is willing to escalate beyond the boundaries of conventional warfare. This posture serves as a deterrent, warning others that Israel will not be constrained by global opinion or legal accountability when pursuing its strategic objectives.
In game-theoretic terms, this is a classic example of credibility through extremity: the more irrational a player appears, the more seriously their threats are taken. But in this case, the cost of that credibility is borne by an entire civilian population-making the strategy not only dangerous, but morally indefensible.
The starvation of Gaza serves as a grim precedent, warning other resistance movements and states that defiance will be met with total deprivation.
Human Rights Watch has described Israel's latest plans as inching closer to extermination. Nearly two million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, confined to less than 12% of Gaza's territory. Aid trucks average just 28 per day-far below the minimum needed for survival. Markets are empty, diseases are spreading, and children are telling their parents they want to go to heaven because "at least heaven has food."
This is not a breakdown of strategy-it is strategy itself. The destruction of Gaza's civil society is a calculated move to remove any possibility of resistance, negotiation, or even existence.
More than 100 NGOs, including Mercy Corps and Doctors Without Borders, have called for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid. Yet, promises of progress from the EU and Israel ring hollow when no real change occurs on the ground. This selective enforcement of humanitarian law undermines the credibility of international institutions and emboldens future violations.
The UN has confirmed that over 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food-201 on aid routes and the rest at distribution points. These are not unintended casualties; they are the direct result of a strategy that weaponizes hunger. The ethical implications are profound: when the rules of the game reward cruelty, the game itself must be changed.
To restore humanity, we must rewrite the rules. International law must be enforced consistently. Humanitarian aid must be protected. And the global community must recognize that starvation is not a tactic-it is a crime.
Dr. Siddiqui, a peace and rights activist, has successfully deployed operational excellence initiatives for four major multi-national corporations.
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