NEW YORK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, stated that the areas designated by Israel for food distribution in Gaza are politically motivated rather than humanitarian, asserting that Israel is conducting a starvation campaign targeting children in Gaza.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Fakhri said that Israel is committing ethnic cleansing in Gaza and is deliberately starving more than two million Palestinians in the besieged Strip.
He warned that Gaza requires the entry of at least 1,000 trucks per day to meet basic humanitarian needs—a stark contrast to the number of trucks allowed in by Israel on Monday.
Israel announced on Monday that it had permitted the first convoy of humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza since 2 March, but the United Nations described the nine food trucks allowed in as “a drop in the ocean.”
Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza’s border crossings closed, blocking all entry of goods and humanitarian assistance, leading to an unprecedented outbreak of famine across the Strip.
Fakhri stated, “If Israel truly cared about the children of Gaza, it would not be conducting a campaign of starvation against them.”
Meanwhile, 23 countries, alongside senior EU officials, issued a joint statement urging Israel to resume the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza immediately, warning of the growing risk of famine and criticizing Israel’s current aid distribution plans.
On the same day, the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, and Canada issued a joint warning, threatening to take action against Israel if it does not end its ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, which has continued since 7 October 2023.
In their statement, the leaders described the level of human suffering in Gaza as unbearable, adding that Israel’s decision to allow in a minimal quantity of food was entirely insufficient.
Their statement followed an announcement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirming approval of aid entry based on military recommendations, ostensibly to expand the military operation.
The World Food Program (WFP) has said that food security assessments in Gaza show the region is in a race against time to avoid famine, calling on the international community to urgently act to resume the flow of aid.
Alongside the tightened blockade and border closures, Israel continues to carry out round-the-clock aerial and artillery strikes on residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure, resulting in significant daily civilian casualties.
On Sunday, Israel announced the launch of a new military operation in Gaza dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots”, which reportedly includes plans for full military occupation of the territory, even as ceasefire negotiations in Doha entered what has been described as a critical stage.
