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Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza is ‘genocide in action’, says Amnesty
Amnesty International is calling on Israel to end its “war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare”, the organisation has said in a new statement.
“Harrowing new testimonies gathered by Amnesty International throughout April reveal the catastrophic human cost of Israel’s two-month-long total siege, where starvation and denial of life-saving essentials are being used as weapons of war in flagrant violation of international law,” the statement read.
According to Erika Guevara Rosas, senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns at Amnesty International, Gaza is “an inferno of death and destruction” due to the siege and fighting.
“For the past two months, Israel has completely cut off the supply of humanitarian aid and other items indispensable to the survival of civilians in a clear and calculated effort to collectively punish over two million civilians and to make Gaza unlivable,” Rosas said.
“This is genocide in action.”
‘You may send your child to bring water only for him to return in a body bag’
According to Amnesty International, Gaza’s “severe food scarcity is being exploited and exacerbated by individuals hoarding or looting supplies, selling them at extortionate prices”.
Most Palestinians are having to rely on “overcrowded community kitchens, where displaced people endure hours-long waits for minimal sustenance, often just a single meal per day”, it added.
One displaced parent told the organisation: “We don’t ask if food is nutritious or not, if it’s fresh or good; that’s a luxury, we just want to fill the stomachs of our children. I don’t want my child to die hungry.”
Meanwhile, a fisherman described to Amnesty the risk of being shot at by the Israeli military while at sea:
“When I go fishing, I know that the danger of not returning home to my family is great … but we have no other option. My family’s survival depends on the money we can get out of selling the fish in the market – and it may cost you your life.”
In addition to Israel blocking entry of all aid, it cut power to Gaza’s main desalination plant, which has further crippled access to clean water.
“If we wanted to get just a few bottles of drinking water, I had to send my son to queue for water for hours and he had to walk long distances,” one resident said.
“With the relentless bombardment and danger lurking everywhere, you don’t know. You may send your child to bring water only for him to return in a body bag. Every day is like this here.”
Today’s death toll in Gaza rises again
Medical sources tell Al Jazeera that 43 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the early hours of this morning.
