Israel provoking famine by blocking aid into Gaza: EU’s Borrell

Thousands of people in the Gaza Strip are beset by “a state of famine” as Israel is using starvation as “a weapon of war” by deliberately blocking humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory, says the foreign policy chief of the European Union.

Speaking at the opening of a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels, Josep Borrell said Gaza is “no longer on the brink of famine, (in Gaza) we are in a state of famine affecting thousands of people.”

“This is unacceptable. Starvation is used as a weapon of war. Israel is provoking famine.”

Borrell said more than five months into Israel’s bloodiest ever war on Gaza, the territory has now turned into “the world’s greatest open-air graveyard.”

“Gaza was before the war the greatest open-air prison. Today it’s … a graveyard for tens of thousands of people and also a graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law.”

According to a new study released by Oxfam — a UK-based international aid organization — a meaningful and safe humanitarian response has been made impossible by the Israeli regime, which is “deliberately blocking and/or undermining” the international aid efforts in Gaza in several ways.

Israel’s “total military siege,” Oxfam said, amounts to “collective punishment.” The regime is also engaged in “decimation, destruction and disruption.”

The organization underscored “attacks on aid workers, humanitarian facilities and aid convoys” by the regime’s military and “systematic denial of humanitarian missions and access restrictions on humanitarian workers.”

Israel ‘deliberately’ blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, Oxfam says

A global anti-poverty charity says Israel is “deliberately” blocking humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in violation of international humanitarian law.

Famine may already exist in northern Gaza: Report

A group of international organizations and charities known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative (IPC) outlined a dire situation in the Gaza Strip, saying famine may already be happening in northern Gaza.

The IPC said on Monday that half the population of Gaza — 1.1 million people — are facing catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation between now and July.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the IPC report “on food insecurity in Gaza is an appalling indictment of conditions on the ground for civilians.”

He told reporters at the UN headquarters on Monday, “Palestinians in Gaza are enduring horrifying levels of hunger and suffering.”

“This is an entirely man-made disaster, and the report makes clear that it can be halted.”

Guterres said this is “the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Classification system – anywhere, anytime.”

The UN chief called on the Israeli regime “to ensure complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza.”

He also urged “the international community to fully support our humanitarian efforts.”

The Israeli regime’s brutal campaign, which began in early October, has driven around 80 percent of Gaza’s population from homes.

Israel has killed more than 31,700 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Thousands more have also died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care. Those people are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals.

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