GazaHerald – Ten Nobel Prize-winning economists are among 23 leading academics from the United States and Europe who have called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon his plans to militarily occupy Gaza City and to immediately open the enclave to unrestricted food aid.
The letter, first shared by MIT economist and Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu on Friday, warns of the catastrophic impact of Israel’s military strategy and restrictions on aid. Acemoglu, co-author of the bestseller Why Nations Fail, was the first signatory of the letter, which denounces starvation as a weapon of war.
“We write with urgent concern about the spreading starvation in Gaza and the Israeli government’s plan to concentrate civilians in a so-called ‘humanitarian city,’” the economists wrote. “As human beings and as economists and scientists, we call for an immediate halt to any policy that intensifies widespread starvation.”
While condemning the October 7 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, the signatories added that this “does not absolve the Israeli government, which controls the flow and distribution of aid, of responsibility.”
Economists Warn of Humanitarian and Economic Collapse
The economists highlighted United Nations World Food Programme data showing that nearly one-third of Gaza’s 2.1 million people have endured multiple days without food, while market prices are now ten times higher than they were just three months ago.
They condemned the US-backed, Israeli-coordinated Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has been accused of corruption and deadly mismanagement. Since May, the UN says more than 1,700 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid at GHF sites, which many in Gaza call a “death trap.”
“Under the guise of relief, the proposed ‘humanitarian city’ would relocate hundreds of thousands of Gazans into a confined zone, stripping them of freedom of movement and basic dignity,” the letter stated.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has described the plan, pushed by Defense Minister Israel Katz, as a “concentration camp.”
The economists also warned of grave consequences for Israel itself if it continues down this path. “European governments may well impose targeted sanctions, inflicting severe damage on science, trade, and employment,” they wrote, adding that ratings agencies are already downgrading Israel’s sovereign debt and that skilled workers, particularly in the tech sector, could leave the country.
The letter comes as Netanyahu presses ahead with his plan to occupy Gaza City, which would bring the entirety of the territory under Israeli military control. The move has already been condemned by governments around the world, including the UK, France, Canada, and Germany.
The economists urged Israel to immediately reverse course: to walk back plans for Gaza’s takeover, open the borders to aid trucks, issue a declaration reaffirming its commitment to human rights and international law, and pursue a ceasefire in good faith.
They concluded with a warning that only by doing so can Israel “preserve its democratic character.”
Over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the genocide began.
The Nobel laureates among the signatories include Angus Deaton, Peter A. Diamond, Esther Duflo, Claudia Goldin, Eric S. Maskin, Roger B. Myerson, Edmund S. Phelps, Christopher A. Pissarides, and Joseph E. Stiglitz, scholars whose research has shaped global economic policy and institutions such as the International Monetary Fund.
