The Palestinian Foreign Ministry made an urgent appeal to the United Nations (UN), on Tuesday, to officially declare that the Gaza Strip is experiencing a real famine, posing a lethal threat to the lives of its citizens.
This dire situation is a result of what they describe as a “genocidal war” and the ongoing blockade imposed on Palestinians.
In a statement, the Ministry emphasized that the situation faced by the people in the Gaza Strip is not merely hunger or starvation but a genuine famine that endangers lives with the risk of death by starvation, with daily casualties reported due to this crisis.
The Ministry also underscored that according to the standards set by the UN, citizens in the Gaza Strip are suffering from famine and its associated risks, including widespread malnutrition.
The statement referred to reports from international and UN agencies specializing in food and nutrition, which unanimously indicate that Gaza’s citizens are experiencing a severe and widespread shortage of food.
These reports include findings from the World Health Organization, its Director-General, UNRWA, UNICEF, the United Nations, the UN Secretary-General, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the Red Crescent, the World Food Programme, as well as numerous documented reports from various media bodies, all confirming the widespread prevalence of hunger among Palestinian families, many of whom go days without food.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, in its statement, urged the United Nations Security Council to hold Israel accountable for the genocide by famine and to break the siege on the Gaza Strip imposed by Israeli forces. The Ministry called for the swift implementation of Resolution 2720 to end the famine spreading in Gaza.
Furthermore, the Ministry held the Israeli government fully and directly responsible for the spread of famine in the Gaza Strip.
The statement stressed that Israel, as a state of occupation, siege, and apartheid, bears ultimate responsibility for all forms of genocide committed against the Palestinian people, including famine.
The Ministry accused Israel of not only perpetrating genocide through brutal bombings, destruction, killings, and direct executions but also through starvation.
