Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on the entry of all humanitarian aid, including water, food and medical supplies, deepening an already humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians eat only one meal every two or three days amid a crippling Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, a UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) spokesman said on Tuesday.
“More than 66,000 children in Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition,” UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna told Al-Ghad TV in an interview, according to the Anadolu news agency.
Ceasefire Talks Pointless amid ‘Starvation War,’ Says Hamas Leader
Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on the entry of all humanitarian aid, including water, food and medical supplies, deepening an already humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights, and international reports.
Israeli Aid Plan Rejected
Abu Hasna reportedly said that “UNRWA will not be part of the new Israeli plan” for aid distribution in Gaza, as the plan “doesn’t adhere to UN standards at all.”
The heads of all UN & NGO humanitarian organizations in Gaza issued a firm response to Israel’s plan for replacing existing aid distribution. They warn it goes against principles of humanity, independence + neutrality.https://t.co/sibyVwr2Vt
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) May 4, 2025
On Sunday night, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved a plan to distribute aid in the blockaded enclave through private security contractors.
The plan, however, was rejected by the UN and dozens of international aid groups, saying it runs against humanitarian principles, is logistically unworkable, and could put Palestinian civilians and staffers in harm’s way.
‘Absolute Cruelty’
“The manmade & politically motivated starvation in Gaza is an expression of absolute cruelty,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on X.
“It cannot be addressed by weaponising humanitarian assistance,” he added.
The manmade & politically motivated starvation in #Gaza is an expression of absolute cruelty.
It cannot be adressed by weaponising humanitarian assistance.
Humanitarian agencies have a set of principles to ensure assistance is delivered to all those in need, without… https://t.co/T6g9cATlVS
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) May 6, 2025
Lazzarini stressed that humanitarian agencies have a set of principles to ensure assistance is delivered to all those in need, “without exception.”
“The proposed model of distribution by the State of Israel falls far short from addressing the devastating hunger,” he emphasized.
The UN Humanitarian Country Team in Gaza also reportedly said on Sunday night that it “can only support plans that respect the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence, and impartiality.”
ICJ Hearings: US Isolated as It Supports Israeli Blockade, Questions UNRWA
Figures released by Gaza’s government media office showed that at least 57 Palestinians have died of starvation since October 2023.
Nearly 2.4 million people in Gaza live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data cited by Anadolu.
ICJ Public Hearings
Last week, the United States argued at the International Court of Justice’s public hearings into Israel’s obligations in the occupied Palestinian territories that Israel has no legal obligation to allow aid into Gaza.
Israel has the obligation to WITHDRAW totally/unconditionally from Gaza/the oPt. Third states have the obligation not to aid and assist Israel’s unlawful conduct,lest being COMPLICIT. If most of the 191 UN members seriously opposed this lawlessness,multilateralism would survive. https://t.co/0Ay6UPytd3
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) May 6, 2025
UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, said in response that “Israel has the obligation to WITHDRAW totally/unconditionally from Gaza/the oPt.”
She added that “Third states have the obligation not to aid and assist Israel’s unlawful conduct, lest being COMPLICIT.”
Rising Death Toll
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 52,000, wounding more than 118,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, said “There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue”.https://t.co/LjM3CiOPI9 pic.twitter.com/IL6iQy3LB8
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 6, 2025
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(PC, Anadolu)
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