More than 100 non-governmental organisations warned of the risk of mass starvation in Gaza on Wednesday, sounding the alarm to allow life-saving food and aid into the Strip.
In a joint statement, prominent organisations including Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International and Oxfam said that as supplies are totally depleted and mass starvation is spreading across the enclave, adding “humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.”
The humanitarian organisations point out that food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sit untouched just outside, or in some cases inside Gaza, in warehouses.
“The starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime,” the statement added.
The organisations are demanding an immediate ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of humanitarian aid under the previous UN-led mechanism.
The statement comes exactly two months after the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) took over aid delivery operations and shortly after the Strip saw its deadliest day for aid-seekers, with at least 85 Palestinians killed trying to access food on Sunday.
Since May, more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to access aid have been killed by Israeli forces, mostly near aid sites run by the controversial American contractor, the UN Human Rights Office said on Tuesday.
In January, Israel banned the main UN organisation, UNRWA, from delivering aid, accusing Hamas of looting aid without providing evidence.
The head of Al-Shifa hospital announced on Tuesday that 21 children died in 72 hours due to malnutrition and starvation, in a scene the UN described as proof that “starvation is knocking on every door.”
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Tuesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the situation in Gaza as a “horror show, with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times.”
Guterres added that he was appalled UNOPS (UN Office for Project Services) and WHO (World Health Organisation) facilities, including its main warehouse, were struck in Deir al Balah over the weekend.
“These premises are inviolable. And must be protected under international humanitarian law without exception,” Guterres said.
Diplomatic efforts and stalled negotiations
Later this week, US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Europe to discuss a range of issues, including Gaza and the push for a ceasefire.
Witkoff also plans to visit the Middle East, where the US Envoy has “strong hope” that the US can deliver a ceasefire deal and the establishment of a “humanitarian corridor” to the besieged strip, Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters.
Israel is increasingly facing pressure from the international community as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to drastically deteriorate.
Israel’s military offensive has now almost reached its 21st month and has left widespread destruction and severe shortages of food, aid and basic amenities.
