UN Rapporteur: Israel Waging "Fastest Starvation Campaign" in Gaza

Starvation and Blockade in Gaza

• ⚠️ Over 100 humanitarian groups are demanding an end to Israel's siege of Gaza, warning of mass starvation spreading across the Palestinian territory.
• 🚨 Humanitarian organizations report illnesses like acute watery diarrhea, empty markets, and widespread hunger and dehydration.
• 💔 The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports at least 111 starvation-related deaths.
• 🗣️ A displaced mother of seven describes the complete lack of any food or essential supplies for her children.

Protests and International Condemnation

• ✊ Thousands marched in Tel Aviv demanding an end to Israel's assault and the lifting of the Gaza siege, holding bags of flour and pictures of starved children.
• 📢 Israeli peace activists state that the actions do not serve them and only serve "messianic people."
• 💥 The World Health Organization released video showing the Israeli military attacking WHO facilities and detaining staff and their families at gunpoint.
• 📉 Health officials in Gaza report over 70 deaths in the past day due to Israeli attacks, including those seeking aid.

UN Official's Assessment

• 🎤 Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, describes the situation as a "horror show" with malnourishment soaring.
• 🗓️ Fakhri states that Israel announced its starvation campaign in October 2023 and that for 78 days, no food, water, fuel, or medicine entered Gaza.
• ⚡ He calls the campaign the fastest famine and starvation campaign seen in modern history, emphasizing it was preventable and predictable.

Calls for Action and Sanctions

• ⚖️ Fakhri outlines Israel's obligations as an occupying power, including ending its illegal occupation and allowing unrestricted humanitarian relief.
• 🇺🇳 He notes the UN Security Council is deadlocked due to US vetoes, suggesting the General Assembly could authorize peacekeepers.
• 🌍 The world has a duty to prevent starvation and genocide, which Fakhri argues necessitates imposing wide-scale sanctions against the state of Israel.
• 🤝 Sanctions are presented as a means to force Israel to end the starvation and genocide of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.