Deaths from starvation in Gaza may amount to war crime, UN rights chief says
The UN human rights chief says the emergence of famine in northern Gaza is the “direct result of actions taken by the Israeli government” and the deaths from starvation might amount to a war crime.
“The famine declared today in Gaza Governorate by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is the direct result of actions taken by the Israeli government,” Volker Turk said in a statement to reporters.
“It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare, and the resulting deaths may also amount to the war crime of willful killing,” he added.
Food entering Gaza ‘remains just a drop in the ocean’
The UN-backed report paints a grim picture of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
International medical workers we spoke to shared personal testimony from Gaza’s hospitals, saying a large proportion of patients arriving for treatment showed visible signs of malnutrition.
In many cases, when asked how often they had eaten or whether they had access to food, people revealed that on multiple occasions they had gone for days without a single meal.
This desperation has been visible near food distribution points run by the Israel- and US-backed GHF agency, where crowds gather in hopes of obtaining aid. Local markets are empty, UN warehouses are depleted and basic supplies have long run out.
Meanwhile, thousands of aid trucks remain stranded on the other side of Gaza’s borders, awaiting Israeli clearance. But there has been ongoing red tape imposed on the delivery of aid, and what has been allowed into Gaza remains just a drop in the ocean [of what is needed].
Food entering Gaza does not contribute to alleviating famine: Aid group
Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza City, has spoken to Al Jazeera Arabic about the dire aid situation in the coastal enclave.
Here are his translated comments:
- Many hospitals have been reduced to rubble due to Israeli bombing.
- The aid that has entered the enclave has not helped alleviate the famine.
- We need specialised hospitals to deal with the famine in Gaza.
