After Hamas fighters brutally murdered hundreds of Israelis in a raid, and took many others hostage, Israel escalated the situation by tightening its 15-year-long blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip by depriving its 2.3 million people of water, food, medical supplies and everything else. According to international law, collective punishment is considered a violation of international law like the Geneva Conventions. Israel’s blockade has been defined as collective punishment by the Red Cross and the United Nations.