The Guardian reports in “‘No one should act surprised,’ says UN expert who warned of starvation in Gaza last year.” The piece quotes Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food: “Israel has built the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine. So while it’s always shocking to see people being starved, no one should act surprised. All the information has been out in the open since early 2024.”
The Guardian also reports: “Fakhri argues that in light of the US persistent vetoing of ceasefire resolutions at the UN Security Council, it is incumbent on the UN General Assembly to call for peacekeepers to accompany humanitarian convoys into Gaza.”
He states: “They have the majority of votes, and most importantly, millions of people are demanding this. Ordinary people are trying to break through an illegal blockade to deliver humanitarian aid, to implement international law their governments are failing to do. Why else do we have peacekeepers if not to end genocide and prevent starvation?”
AntiWar.com reports: “Israel’s Escalation Plans Involve the Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza City and Gaza’s Central Refugee Camps.”
KARAMEH KUEMMERLE, leadership@
Kuemmerle is co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide.
The group has held numerous events and written a number of reports including “Healthcare Workers as Human Rights Defenders,” which states: “The deliberate and systematic targeting of hospitals, medical workers, and patients by state and non-state actors is not unique to the current military campaign in Gaza. However, the case of Palestine stands apart due to the pervasive and unprecedented scale, as well as the intensity of the destruction inflicted upon Gaza’s health sector.”
They contributed to the report “Starving a Generation” from Defense for Children International. They write: “Acute starvation in children triggers rapid metabolic changes, beginning with glycogen storage depletion followed by increased fat breakdown and ketone production to fuel the brain (Dipasquale et al., 2020). This leads to starvation ketosis, which may cause vomiting, lethargy, hypoglycemia, and seizures, particularly in children under 10, due to their limited energy reserves and higher metabolic demands and especially if they have underlying medical conditions. …
“Refeeding after prolonged starvation poses serious risks (Corsello et al., 2023). Refeeding syndrome is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when nutrition is reintroduced after a period of starvation or severe malnutrition.” The group has a page on refeeding syndrome.