Referring to Israel’s “intentional campaign of starvation” against the people of Gaza, the UN Special Rapporteur Michael Fakhri has said that “there is no doubt that this is genocide.”
A UN special rapporteur on the right to food has described Israel’s “intentional campaign of starvation” against the Palestinian people in Gaza as “genocide,” saying Israel is using food and hunger as a weapon.
“We see a campaign of starvation that started from the beginning of the war and continues to unfold today,” Michael Fakhri, who is in Geneva to attend the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, told Anadolu on Thursday.
He added that “There is no doubt that this is genocide and that this is a campaign and intentional campaign of starvation by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
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At least 15 children have died from malnutrition and dehydration at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
“When the war broke out, we saw people go hungry in unprecedented ways. We have never seen any community made to go hungry so quickly. Now what we are seeing is famine. Children are dying from malnutrition, and dehydration,” Fakhri stated.
“We have never seen children pushed into malnutrition so quickly in any conflict in modern history,” he added.
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He expressed concern about the problems of development in malnourished children, saying “they were going to experience stunting, which means permanent long-term physical and cognitive impact.”
A Stage of Horror
“We see children dying from malnutrition, and dehydration, this is a stage of horror.”
He said at this point the speed of death will increase significantly, adding “I cannot imagine a more horrific situation.”
Regarding the recent airdrops of aid by countries to Gaza, Fakhri said, “It is clear … that aid airdrops are very expensive, and not very effective.”
“In fact, sometimes airdrops can cause a lot of chaos and problems as the food is scattered everywhere, with no systemic way of distributing the food,” the UN expert added.
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He said countries like the United States and other countries that are providing these airdrops should instead “focus on ensuring an immediate ceasefire by putting pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter unfettered and to ensure a permanent ceasefire.”
“This is like putting a band-aid on someone who is almost dying. It has very little immediate and long-term impact,” he further said.
Fakhri emphasized that Israel cut off the water supply to Gaza immediately after October 7 and said that Gaza was completely besieged by October 9.
“We immediately raised the alarm as UN independent human rights experts, saying there was a risk of genocide.”
“As we heard from the International Court of Justice recently, in their preliminary judgment, they found a plausible case of genocide. At this point in the war, I think it is clear that it is genocide,” he told Anadolu.
Over 30,800 Killed
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 30,878 Palestinians have been killed, and 72,402 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(Anadolu, PC)
