‘Israel has made clear it wants to commit genocide’: Ex-UNRWA official
Chris Gunness, a former spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), says the Israeli government is not allowing critical aid into Gaza because it wants to continue its genocidal policies against Palestinians.
“There is a litany of – quite frankly – fascistic pretexts” for Israel to maintain its restrictions on humanitarian assistance, Gunness told Al Jazeera.
“Let’s be clear on the big picture: Israel has made it clear that it wants to commit a genocide against the Palestinians, it wants to ethnically-cleanse them, and it wants to starve them,” he said, noting that there are millions of aid items waiting to be brought into the enclave.
“The big picture is that the reason these items are not being let in … is that there is a genocide going on, there is a collective punishment, there is ethnic cleansing, and there’s a policy of starvation.”
Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, November 5
“We’re seeing Palestinians shot on a daily basis, so the idea that this ceasefire is holding – It’s not holding for the families of those who have been killed, it’s not holding for the hundreds of thousands of people who are starving,” Gunness told Al Jazeera.
He noted that tens of thousands of Palestinians – mainly children – remain at risk of malnutrition in the bombarded territory. Gunness also said that, if Israel doesn’t meet its obligation “to flood the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid”, then third-party countries must act.
“That means sanctioning Israel for not abiding by its obligations to the [International Court of Justice]” and ensuring that Netanyahu – who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on Gaza war crimes charges – is arrested if he visits their country, Gunness said.
“If Mr Netanyahu enters the territory of any of the 123 Rome Statute countries, he needs to be arrested and handed over to The Hague to face charges of using starvation as a weapon of war. These latest reports that we’re seeing – millions of items in warehouses, not being allowed into Gaza – is further proof that this war crime is being committed.”
Israeli army carrying out demolitions near Khan Younis
The Israeli military has been demolishing residential buildings east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, our team on the ground is reporting. Israel has carried out a wave of demolitions in parts of Gaza under its continued control east of the so-called yellow line, where Israeli forces are stationed.
A Palestinian family sits amid the rubble of a destroyed building in Jabalia, November 7
