The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the ongoing Israeli and American blockade on humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and goods into the Gaza Strip, now in its 65th consecutive day.
In a statement, the Media Office declared that the prevention of aid, coupled with the silence and complicity of numerous countries, constitutes a “grave humanitarian crime.”
The statement emphasized that the ongoing blockade endangers the lives of thousands of children, patients, and civilians, leaving their fate hanging in the balance. It added that hundreds of thousands of tons of aid and medical supplies remain piled up on the other side of Gaza’s crossings, awaiting permission for entry.
The statement further noted that the blockade itself is a crime, reflecting a moral decline as various countries align themselves with the Israeli occupation and its immoral actions, contributing to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
The Media Office held the international community accountable for the blockade, urging immediate action to halt the policy of starvation, which it described as part of an ongoing genocide committed by the Israeli occupation with support from the United States. This blockade, it stated, has been targeting civilians, children, women, patients, and the starving population for ten consecutive months.
The statement warned that the escalation of the policy of starvation against the Palestinian people in Gaza would have catastrophic consequences for the region.
It further highlighted that such a policy violates international laws, treaties, and conventions that prohibit and criminalize the use of starvation as a weapon of war, which is also considered a crime against humanity.
Meanwhile, the health authorities in Gaza reported that at least 33 children had died from malnutrition, primarily in the northern regions, which have recently faced the most intense bombardment since the onset of Operation al-Aqsa Flood.
Famine spreading across Gaza
A group of UN experts warned in a press release, on Tuesday, that the recent deaths of additional Palestinian children from hunger and malnutrition unequivocally indicate that famine has now spread across the entire Gaza Strip.
“Fayez Ataya, who was barely six months old, died on 30 May 2024 and 13-year-old Abdulqader Al-Serhi died on 1 June 2024 at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. Nine-year-old Ahmad Abu Reida died on 3 June 2024 in the tent sheltering his displaced family in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. All three children died from malnutrition and lack of access to adequate healthcare,” the experts said.
“With the death of these children from starvation despite medical treatment in central Gaza, there is no doubt that famine has spread from northern Gaza into central and southern Gaza,” they added.
The UN experts stressed that the death of a child due to malnutrition and dehydration signifies that essential health and social structures have been targeted and are severely compromised.
“When the first child dies from malnutrition and dehydration, it becomes irrefutable that famine has taken hold,” the experts emphasized.
“We declare that Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people is a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across all of Gaza. We call upon the international community to prioritize the delivery of humanitarian aid by land by any means necessary, end Israel’s siege, and establish a ceasefire,” they added.
UN experts stressed that the death of a 2-month-old baby and 10-year-old Yazan al-Kafarneh from hunger on February 24 and March 4, respectively, served as confirmation that famine had reached northern Gaza.
They criticized the global community for not intervening sooner to halt “Israel’s” starvation campaign, which they described as genocidal, and prevent these fatalities. The experts pointed out that 34 Palestinians, mostly children, have succumbed to malnutrition since October 7, emphasizing that failure to act constitutes complicity.
