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How can the world remain ‘silent’ and ‘indifferent’ about Gaza, says UN expert

Posted on by angelo
How can the world remain ‘silent’ and ‘indifferent’ about Gaza, says UN expert

Aid agencies continue to accuse Israeli authorities of frequently preventing them from delivering aid to Gaza, worsening the situation in the already blockaded enclave.

  • Gaza famine an 'abominable injustice', says UN envoy Francesca Albanese
    Palestinian children suffering from malnutrition or chronic diseases wait with their family members at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, June 24, 2024.AFP)

The UN special rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, wondered on Friday how the world could remain “silent” or “indifferent” to the war in Gaza, where the Israeli occupation has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians and left the majority of the population displaced and in dire hunger.

Last month, about 50 children suffered from malnutrition and starvation in the northern part of the region due to the total blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza, said Husam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.

Albanese wondered how the world could remain “silent, indifferent or inactive in the face of this abominable injustice, and not feel hypocritical in commemorating the victims of any other genocide?”

Albanese’s comments were in response to a post by Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, who wrote: “The famine in Gaza has spread from the north to the entire Gaza Strip,” adding that “every Palestinian in Gaza now faces starvation because of Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign.”

Read also: US responsible for Israeli policy of starvation in Gaza, says Hamas

Fakhri highlighted the deaths of newborn Fayez Ataya, who died on May 30, and Abdulqader al-Serhi, a 13-year-old boy, who died on June 1.

“Both children died of hunger. So there is no doubt that famine has spread throughout the Gaza Strip,” Fakhri said, explaining that the death of a child is indicative of the fact that “health and social structures have been attacked and seriously weakened.”

“When the first child dies of malnutrition and dehydration, it is irrefutable that famine has set in,” Fakhri reported.

He said the first reports of starvation deaths came from northern Gaza. On February 24, Mahmoud Fattouh, a one-month-old baby, died, while Yazan al-Kafarneh, 10, died on March 4. “Both were starved by Israel,” the UN expert said.

“The whole world should have stopped Israel’s genocidal starvation campaign to prevent these deaths,” Fakhri said.

Aid groups say Israeli officials regularly block them from sending supplies to Gaza, worsening the already dire situation in the region.

96% of Gaza’s population suffers from food insecurity, according to PRCS

Most hospitals in the Gaza Strip are no longer operational due to the ongoing attacks. In the Gaza Strip, 96% of the population lives in extreme food insecurity, as confirmed by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Platform X.

In an interview for the BBCPRCS spokesman Nebal Farsakh discussed the orders issued for the evacuation of 250,000 residents of Khan Younis.

She said that “families who are forced to move again are exhausted, traumatised and suffering from constant fear, stress and uncertainty.”