Children wait for food relief in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. (Photo via Getty)
Geneva, January 23 (RHC)-- A UN expert has warned that Israel is “intentionally” starving Gazans and “destroying” its food system as the genocidal war continues incessantly for more than 100 days now.
Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food said in a post on social media on Monday that starving an entire population, what Israel is doing in Gaza amid the onslaught, is “unprecedented.” “It’s unprecedented to make an entire civilian population go hungry this completely and quickly. Israel is destroying Gaza’s food system. Israel is intentionally imposing a high rate of disease, prolonged malnutrition, dehydration and starvation by destroying civilian infrastructure,” he wrote.
In a report last week the United Nations revealed that Gazans now make up 80 percent of all people facing famine or catastrophic hunger worldwide, what UN human rights experts called an “unparalleled humanitarian crisis.” “Currently every single person in Gaza is hungry, a quarter of the population are starving and struggling to find food and drinkable water, and famine is imminent,” it said.
The report also voiced concerns over pregnant women who are not receiving adequate nutrition and healthcare, putting their lives at risk. In addition, it said, all children under five – 335,000 – are at high risk of severe malnutrition as the risk of famine conditions continues to increase.
“A whole generation is now in danger of suffering from stunting,” it warned. It added that approximately 22 percent of agricultural land, including orchards, greenhouses, and farmland in northern Gaza, has been razed by Israeli forces.
Israel has reportedly destroyed approximately 70 percent of Gaza’s fishing fleet, according to the report.
“Most bakeries are not operational, due to the lack of fuel, water, and wheat flour along with structural damage. Livestock are starving and unable to provide food or be a source of food. Meanwhile, access to safe water continues to diminish while the healthcare system has collapsed due to the wide-spread destruction of hospitals, significantly heightening the spread of communicable diseases.”
Before the current Israeli war of aggression, the UN said the 17-year Israeli all-out blockade on Gaza made approximately half of the people in Gaza food insecure and more than 80 percent reliant on humanitarian aid. “Aid needs to be delivered to Gazans immediately and without any hindrance to prevent starvation,” the UN report said.
The Zionist regime imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to 2.3 million Palestinians living there after the war erupted on October 7.
As Israeli attacks and battles rage across the Gaza Strip, Palestinian health officials said the death toll from Israeli strikes since war broke out has passed 25,290.
