More than 100 non-governmental organizations issued a warning on Wednesday about the looming threat of a mass famine in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, now suffering under more than 21 months of ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, the United States announced that envoy Steve Weikoff would travel to Europe for talks aimed at finalizing a humanitarian aid “corridor” into the territory.
اضافة اعلان
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave, devastated by the continued Israeli aggression.
In late May, Israel partially eased the comprehensive blockade it had imposed in early March, which had caused severe shortages of food, medicine, and other essential supplies.
On Tuesday, Al-Shifa Medical Complex announced that 21 children had died within 72 hours due to malnutrition and famine, as Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe reaches unprecedented levels. The United Nations has warned that “famine is knocking on every door.”
On Wednesday, the NGOs—including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Amnesty International, Oxfam International, and various branches of Doctors of the World and Caritas—stated:
“As mass famine spreads across Gaza, our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away.”
In a joint statement, the organizations called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the full opening of all border crossings, and the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The statement came a day after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights accused the Israeli military of killing more than 1,000 people at aid distribution points in Gaza since the end of May. Most of those killed were near sites run by the Gaza Relief Foundation, a U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization with opaque funding sources.
The Gaza Relief Foundation, run by the United States with Israeli support, places blame on Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
Israel, in turn, claims it regularly allows large quantities of aid through, but NGOs report severe restrictions still in place.
The humanitarian organizations stated:
“Just outside Gaza—in warehouses—and even within Gaza itself, tons of food, drinking water, medical supplies, shelter materials, and fuel remain unused due to the lack of access granted to humanitarian agencies.”
“Malnutrition Is Worsening”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Tuesday that the horrors in Gaza due to the war between Israel and Hamas—especially in terms of death toll and destruction—are “unprecedented in modern history.”
In a UN Security Council meeting, Guterres stated:
“The horror unfolding in Gaza—with levels of death and destruction unmatched in recent history—is plain to see. Malnutrition is worsening, and famine is at every doorstep.”
In Gaza City, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, confirmed Tuesday that “21 children died in the past 72 hours due to malnutrition and starvation.”
At Nasser Hospital in the south, AFP images showed parents weeping over the body of their 14-year-old son Abdel Jawad Al-Ghalban, who died of hunger.
In this context, the United States announced Tuesday that envoy Steve Weikoff would travel to Europe for talks aimed at finalizing a humanitarian corridor into Gaza.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Weikoff would travel to an unspecified European destination this week for discussions related to Gaza.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that Weikoff hopes to push forward a new ceasefire proposal and humanitarian corridor plan that “both sides have, in fact, agreed to.”
No Progress in Negotiations
After more than 21 months of war, Israel continues its daily bombardment of Gaza, which has been under Hamas governance since 2007.
In Al-Shati refugee camp (north), which shelters thousands of displaced persons, Umm Rami Abu Karsh, a displaced woman, said:
“I lost my husband, my son is injured, I’m starving, and my house has been destroyed.”
The most recent indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have failed to produce a ceasefire.
Israel insists on the release of captives held in Gaza, the elimination of Hamas, and full military control of the territory, while Hamas demands Israeli withdrawal, the entry of massive aid, and an end to the war.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel—the occupying power—has waged what many describe as a genocidal war on Gaza, involving killings, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, in defiance of international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its operations.
This war has resulted in over 201,000 deaths and injuries, most of them women and children, more than 9,000 missing persons, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine claiming more lives by the day.
— (Agencies)
