GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, said that Israel has brought Gaza to “the most dangerous stages of starvation,” adding that the effects will last for generations. He affirmed that what is happening in the Strip is “genocide, starvation, a crime against humanity, and a grave violation of human rights.”
In a press statement on Thursday, Fakhri said that what he had witnessed over the past months of the war clearly reveals Israel’s plan for the Strip. He warned that “Israel’s plan has always been to inflict as much harm and destruction as possible, and to cause the highest number of casualties to achieve its primary goal of fully occupying and annexing Gaza.”
He pointed out that Israel had made its intentions known from the beginning of the war in one way or another. He said, “The situation is constantly worsening, and we are witnessing a tangible and systematic escalation of violence by Israel.”
Fakhri emphasized the importance of not forgetting that Israel announced its intention to use starvation as a weapon on October 9, 2023.
He added, “Israel has completely blocked humanitarian aid, or restricted it, or deliberately attacked relief convoys. What we are witnessing now is the most dangerous phase of the starvation campaign.”
The UN Rapporteur said that recently, a minimal amount of aid has entered the Strip, with Israel allowing a very small number of relief trucks into Gaza, “but they do not meet the population’s needs.”
He stressed that “the most important thing to remember is that the numbers we currently have are always much lower than the reality, because international journalists are not allowed in, and only a very limited number of aid workers are permitted to operate there. So, we know that the reality is much worse than we can imagine.” He added, “Everyone knows that what is happening is genocide.”
He continued: “We were among the first to expose the famine resulting from Israel’s starvation campaign. The International Court of Justice acknowledged the risk of genocide, and the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, among the charges being the use of starvation as a weapon of war.”
The UN Rapporteur stressed the urgent need to allow the entry of humanitarian aid convoys into Gaza, saying: “This is what must happen—and it must happen now.”
