AP reports: “Famine grips Gaza’s largest city and is likely to spread, food crisis authority says.” The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification “determination comes after months of warnings by aid groups that Israel’s restrictions of food and other aid into Gaza, and its military offensive, were causing high levels of starvation among Palestinian civilians, particularly children.” Palestinian groups had asked for such a declaration for all of Gaza a year ago, see IPA news release from June 2024: “Palestinian Groups Call to Declare Gaza a Famine-Stricken Area.”
The Guardian recently reported 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?”
KARAMEH KUEMMERLE, [email protected], @docstopgenocide
Kuemmerle is co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide.
RAED JARRAR, (510) 932-0346, [email protected], @raedjarrar
Jarrar is advocacy director at DAWN, founded by slain writer Jamal Khashoggi.
The group released the report last month: “UN Secretary General: Declare Famine in Gaza — Israel Using Starvation as a Weapon of War, Causing Deaths to Surge in Gaza.”
Earlier this month, they released the statement: “UN General Assembly: Deploy International Protection Force to Gaza.”
See recent IPA release: “The Case for Military Intervention to Stop the Gaza Genocide,” which highlights an online event with leading experts on Saturday.