Document shows Israel counted Gazans’ calories

An Israeli document shows that Israel calculated the number of calories Palestinians in Gaza would need in order to avoid malnutrition.

Titled “Food Consumption in the Gaza Strip -- The Red Lines,” the study estimated that each Gazan would need 2,279 calories a day. The study was prepared in January 2008, months after Israel intensified its blockade of Gaza following the Hamas takeover of the coastal strip.

The study indicates that Israel's blockade of Gaza was designed to hurt not only Hamas but civilians as well, so that they would put pressure on the Hamas government. 

Israel's Supreme Court ordered the release of the document after the Israeli human rights organization Gisha requested access to it and filed a Freedom of Information petition with the Defense Ministry.

The plan formulated in the document was never implemented, according to the Defense Ministry.