The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights defended yesterday that Israel has an obligation to prevent imminent famine in the Gaza Strip and warned that the blockade and military offensive “could amount to the use of hunger as a weapon of war”.
Maintaining this type of retaliation against the Palestinian territory, which is increasing the humanitarian crisis, would therefore be “a war crime”, said Volker Turk.
The high commissioner directly attributed the food catastrophe in the Strip to political and military decisions adopted by the Israeli authorities, ranging from blocking aid to the massive displacement of the population, including the destruction of “crucial” civilian infrastructure.
“Israel, as the occupying power, has the obligation to guarantee the supply of food and medical care to the population, according to their needs, and to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations in providing assistance”, highlighted Volker Turk, in a statement.
On Monday, a report by a group of international organizations and aid institutions known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Initiative announced that one in two residents of the Gaza Strip is experiencing a catastrophic food situation.
According to the analysis, more than 1.1 million inhabitants of Gaza face “a situation of catastrophic hunger”, which constitutes “the highest number ever recorded” by the UN, and the scenario threatens to spread throughout the enclave , placing 2.2 million Palestinians in the widest and most serious food crisis in the world. Turk lamented that despite repeated warnings, the situation had not improved.
“This catastrophe is a human work and is completely avoidable”, he stated. Therefore, the United Nations High Commissioner called on all parties, especially actors “with influence”, to “insist on Israel” to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and guarantee the recovery of basic services.
Furthermore, he also considered necessary “an immediate ceasefire”, as well as the “unconditional release” of all hostages still held in Gaza since the attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist group on Israeli soil, on October 7, which caused around 1,200 deaths and more than two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
In retaliation, Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip, where, according to the local government led by Hamas, more than 31,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians.
The Israeli offensive has also destroyed most of Gaza’s infrastructure and close to 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes.