Main events on June 6th
- The Israeli military issued new forced evacuation orders for parts of northern Gaza, as displaced families say they have nowhere safe to go.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France is “determined” to recognise a Palestinian state, but stopped short of saying the move will happen at an upcoming UN conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
- The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has reiterated a call for unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza as the population faces the continued threat of famine.
- At least 226 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began, Gaza’s Government Media Office said, after Al Arabiya TV cameraman Ahmed Qaljah succumbed to wounds sustained in an Israeli attack yesterday.
- Israel’s military announced the deaths of four soldiers in Gaza, saying it needed thousands more troops to press its offensive. According to the Israeli Army Radio, 866 Israeli soldiers have now been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Israel’s starvation of Gaza should come as no surprise: Expert
Noah Sylvia, a research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK, writes that the Israeli policy of starvation should instead be viewed as “a logical conclusion of a campaign aimed at the destruction of life in the Strip”.
The Israeli military “has attempted to destroy every facet of life in Gaza, from eradicating infrastructure to mass killings of Palestinians”, Sylvia explained, and as a result, “starving a population is but a natural extension” of those efforts.
In a commentary piece published on the RUSI website, he said that, “unless the international community takes meaningful action against Israel, there is no reason to expect that either this violence or the starvation of two million people will end”.
“The next steps are clear: governments must immediately suspend all arms sales, military aid, and military cooperation with Israel, impose sanctions, and support the international legal mechanisms investigating these atrocities,” he added.
Gaza faces famine risk as aid distribution centers close amid Israeli blockade
On Friday, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said all its aid distribution centres were closed until further notice, despite a growing hunger crisis in the territory. In a Facebook post, the GHF said details about reopening would be announced later, and advised people to stay away from aid distribution hubs “for their safety”.
Contradicting the above message in later announcements yesterday, the GHF said two of its hubs had completed their daily food distribution, and a total of 471,240 meals had been handed out on Friday alone.
Aid agencies have warned that all residents in Gaza face the threat of famine after Israel imposed a severe blockade on the territory in March, blocking the entry of food, medicine and fuel. Amid international pressure, Israel allowed some aid to enter Gaza last month, but aid groups have warned the amounts are inadequate.
Operations at the GHF group’s aid distribution hubs were halted earlier this week following several incidents of deadly violence near the sites, in which Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian aid seekers.
In addition, the Israeli army issued a warning yesterday that threatened “extreme danger” to Palestinians if they approached any of the aid points between the hours of 6am and 6pm, or 03:00 and 15:00 GMT.
