Main events on May 30th
- A spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office warns that Gaza’s entire population is at risk of famine as Israel’s blockade has turned the enclave into “the hungriest place on Earth”.
- Israeli forces have shot at Palestinians seeking food at a US-backed distribution point in Gaza, injuring at least 20 people.
- At least 72 deaths and 278 injuries have been reported to Gaza hospitals over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry says, as Israel continues to pummel the Strip.
- US President Trump says a Gaza ceasefire deal is “very close” after a proposal was submitted to Hamas for review; the Palestinian group says it is still assessing the plan.
- The Israeli military has launched more raids across the occupied West Bank as Israel’s illegal settlement expansion plans continue to spur international condemnation.
‘Safe to say there is famine’ in Gaza: UN expert
Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, says he came to that conclusion because a formal recognition of famine relies on having access to people – but Israel is blocking independent experts from assessing the situation in Gaza.
Fakhri said a more important question than whether famine has already taken hold in the territory is how to ensure that the Israeli government allows humanitarian aid to enter Gaza immediately.
Describing the US- and Israeli-backed food distribution scheme that began this week as a means of control, Fakhri told Al Jazeera that Israel is using aid “as bait to corral people” and push them out of the north and into militarised zones.
“It’s about humiliating people, and it’s about controlling the population. This has nothing to do with stopping starvation,” he said.
“The danger is that this is a situation where the United Nations and other international humanitarian organisations are being sidelined. This might set a dangerous precedent for the future in which aid will be militarised in other contexts.”
