The Israeli military calculated the number of calories Gaza's residents would need to consume to avoid malnutrition during a sweeping blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory between 2007 and mid-2010, according to a document the Israeli defence ministry released under a court order.
The Israeli rights group Gisha contends that Israel calculated the calorie needs for Gaza's population in order to restrict the quantities of goods and basic products it allowed in during the three-year period.
Israel imposed the blockade after identifying Gaza as a "hostile territory" in September 2007, after the Hamas takeover.
Seeking to weaken the armed groups, Israel called for "severe restrictions" on civilians that included limitations on food.
"The official goal of the policy was to wage 'economic warfare' which would paralyze Gaza's economy and, according to the Defense Ministry, create pressure on the Hamas government," Gisha said on Wednesday.
The Defense Ministry handed over its document on the food calculation to Gisha only after the group filed a Freedom of Information petition.
Via: "Al-Jazeera"
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