‘How can we remain silent?’ says UN rapporteur on Gaza famine

ANKARA

The UN special rapporteur on Palestine wondered on Friday how the world could remain “silent” or “indifferent” to the situation in Gaza, where Israeli attacks have killed more than 38,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023 and left most of the population homeless and hungry.

In a message posted on X, Francesca Albanese said: “Fayez Ataya, 6 months old, and Abdulqader Al-Serhi, 13 years old, are two of the latest victims of FAMINE caused by the Israeli campaign to fight FAMINE in Gaza.”

“How can we remain silent, indifferent or inactive in the face of this abominable injustice, and not feel hypocritical when we commemorate the victims of any other genocide?” she asks.

According to the latest IPC report, published in partnership with the UN, on hunger levels, 96% of the population – some 2.15 million people – are facing acute food insecurity at the “crisis” level or above.

Albanese’s remarks followed a message from Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, who said that “the famine in Gaza has spread from the north to the entire Gaza Strip.”

“Every Palestinian in Gaza now faces starvation because of Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign,” he said.

“How do I know? The recent deaths of other Palestinian children tell us everything. Fayez Ataya (barely 6 months old) died on May 30. Abdulqader Al-Serhi (13 years old) died on June 1. Both children died of hunger. So there is no doubt that famine has spread throughout the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“How can the death of a child mean that there is famine?” Fakhri asked, who replied: “The death of a child due to malnutrition/dehydration indicates that health and social structures have been attacked, seriously weakened.”

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

He said the first reports of starvation deaths came from northern Gaza. “Mahmoud Fattouh (1 month old) died on February 24. Yazan Al Kafarneh (10 years old) died on March 4. Both were starved by Israel,” he noted.

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

Aid agencies say Israeli authorities frequently prevent them from delivering aid to Gaza, worsening the situation in the already blockaded enclave.

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