The chief of the UN human rights office warned on Tuesday, the 19th of March, that Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip could amount to starvation tactics that could constitute a war crime, a harsh assessment that followed a UN-backed report published on Monday predicting that the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants would lead to famine in the Gaza Strip by May, reports Reuters.
“Israel’s continued restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, as well as the manner in which it continues to conduct hostilities, may amount to the use of famine as a method of warfare, which constitutes a war crime,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
While aid agencies blame Israel for the blockade of Gaza, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it is facilitating aid and that the UN and aid groups are to blame for any problems with the quantity and speed of aid delivery.
Turk has stressed that Israel, as the occupying power, is responsible for providing adequate food and medical aid to the people of Gaza and must facilitate the work of humanitarian organisations in delivering aid.
Monday’s UN-backed report indicates that malnutrition and food shortages in northern Gaza are likely to have surpassed famine levels, with famine-related deaths expected to follow soon.
The crisis is “man-made” and “entirely preventable”, said Turk.
UN human rights chief stressed that all parties, especially those with influence, must urgently push Israel to ensure the unimpeded delivery of essential humanitarian aid and commercial goods to end the starvation and prevent any risk of famine.
He also called for the full restoration of essential services such as the provision of food, water, electricity and fuel.
Also read: EU pledges 7.7 billion euros for global needs in 2024
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