Human rights organization calls for famine declaration in northern Gaza

“Given that Israel has blocked the entry of goods and aid to the hundreds of thousands of besieged residents in the northern Gaza Strip for more than 50 days now, the relevant international and UN organizations must formally declare a famine in the region,” the independent organization said in a statement from its Geneva headquarters.

“Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon is one component of its ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which also includes mass killings and forced displacement,” it added.

The statement stressed that tens of thousands of Palestinians, including many patients in three hospitals in northern Gaza, are in “immediate danger of starvation or long-term health consequences” due to the “illegal Israeli blockade”.

“By blocking the entry of all goods beginning on 1 October and launching a massive military assault against all citizens of Jabalia and Beit Lahia four days later, Israel has successfully divided the North Gaza Governorate from the rest of the Gaza Strip,” it noted.

Since Oct. 5, Israeli soldiers have destroyed hundreds of homes and shelters, killing around 1,900 Palestinians and injuring over 4,000, while forcing tens of thousands to flee.

Meanwhile, others remain in homes and shelters under dire situation, it said.

It highlighted that residents still in northern Gaza are under a suffocating blockade and subject to continuous and deliberate bombardment with no access to food, water or medical supplies and are targeted by drones if they attempt to leave in search of food or water.

It also pointed out that “Palestinians currently facing severe starvation, bombing and displacement hadn’t fully recovered from previous waves of starvation that occurred at various times late last year and multiple times in recent months”.

The report indicated that tens of thousands of those displaced from northern Gaza to Gaza City struggle to purchase essentials due to high prices and limited supplies and lack adequate assistance due to the unlawful Israeli blockade.

Conditions in southern Wadi Gaza are similarly dire as Israel continues to impose restrictions on the entry of goods, limiting the number of aid trucks allowed.

“All residents of the Gaza Strip are now reliant on foreign humanitarian aid due to a lack of employment opportunities, cash liquidity issues, and the collapse of local production capacity,” it added.

“Consequently, halting such aid would mean denying them access to food and other necessities that are essential to their survival.”