Gaza - Saba:
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has urgently called on relevant authorities and international organizations to formally declare a state of famine in northern Gaza.
This plea comes after more than 50 days of an Israeli blockade that has prevented any humanitarian aid or goods from reaching hundreds of thousands of residents under siege. These residents, enduring extreme violence, are facing what the monitor describes as a systematic campaign of genocide through killings and forced displacement.
In a statement issued today, the monitor reported that tens of thousands of Palestinians, including numerous patients in three hospitals in northern Gaza, are at imminent risk of starvation or permanent health complications due to Israel's unlawful blockade. The report specifies that since September 25, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid from entering northern Gaza, followed by a halt on commercial goods as of October 1. Just four days later, a large-scale military offensive began, isolating northern Gaza’s Jabalia and Beit Lahia from the rest of the Gaza Strip.
Over the past 36 days, Israeli forces have destroyed and bombed hundreds of homes and shelters in northern Gaza, killing around 1,900 Palestinians, injuring more than 4,000, and forcibly displacing tens of thousands. However, many remain in their homes or shelters, unable to leave.
The residents who remain are trapped under severe siege, enduring constant bombardment and deprived of food, water, and medical aid. Attempts to leave in search of basic necessities put them at risk of targeted attacks by drones, which often result in death.
The monitor also documented disturbing accounts from Palestinians forced to leave northern Gaza, describing widespread hunger and lack of food. This crisis, it warns, is accelerating rates of malnutrition and associated diseases, disproportionately affecting the elderly, children, and pregnant women.
The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor emphasized that the current wave of starvation and displacement is compounding the hardships that Gazans have faced over the past year, including previous periods of acute food shortages.
Highlighting a recent alert from the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the monitor warned of the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and the imminent threat of famine in northern Gaza, urging for immediate intervention within days, not weeks.
The monitor stated that the global community holds responsibility for the famine crisis orchestrated by Israeli actions in Gaza, using starvation as a tool of genocide. The crisis, they warn, is nearing an irreversible point, with daily deaths expected to rise among those suffering from hunger.
They urge for an official declaration of famine across Gaza, especially in the north, which would carry binding legal and ethical obligations. This includes sanctioning Israel, halting arms supplies, and immediately establishing humanitarian corridors to deliver food and other essential goods to prevent further loss of life.
The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor reiterated the international community's legal and moral duty to prevent famine in Gaza, demanding urgent recognition of the crisis. They also call for the restoration of humanitarian aid access across Gaza, enabling the swift and effective delivery of life-saving supplies, including safe and nutritious food, infant formula, medical treatments for malnutrition, and restoration of essential services like healthcare, water, and sanitation, along with resuming local production and the entry of commercial goods.
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