Forgotten Famine of Gaza

Since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation has imposed a severe blockade, preventing the entry of humanitarian supplies and essential food, leaving more than 2.5 million Palestinians facing the threat of famine and malnutrition.

Israel reduced the daily number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into the Gaza Strip to just 30 in October, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Monday.

“This is the lowest in a long time, bringing the assistance back to the level of the beginning of the war,” Philippe Lazzarini said on X.

Since the outbreak of hostilities on Oct. 7, Israel has maintained strict closures on Gaza’s crossings, limiting essential goods and imposing significant restrictions on humanitarian aid, creating severe living conditions.

Lazzarini emphasized that these 30 daily trucks “cannot meet the needs of over 2 million people, many of whom are starving, sick, and in desperate conditions.”

He noted that these trucks “represent only 6% of the supplies (commercial and humanitarian) allowed into Gaza before the war,” according to Anadolu.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 43,400 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,200 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

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Day 395 of The Israeli Genocide

Daily Briefing by the Ministry of Health in Gaza on day 395 of the Israeli Genocide:

The Israeli occupation committed 3 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the previous 24 hours, resulting in 33 documented fatalities and 156 people injured.

The documented Palestinian death toll has now reached 43,374 fatalities and 102,261 injuries since October 7, 2023.

Many victims are still unaccounted for, either buried under the rubble or scattered on the streets, and rescue and civil defense teams are unable to reach them.

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Israel Kills Two Journalists in Less Than 24 Hrs

A Palestinian journalists’ rights group has condemned the recent killing of two Palestinian journalists by the Israeli army in less than 24 hours in the Gaza Strip. This brings the total number of male and female journalists to 183 since Israeli waged its war on Gaza on 7 October, 2023.

The Palestinian Journalists Protection Center (PJPC) stated, Saturday, the Israeli war on the besieged territory has been the deadliest for journalists more than any other conflict over the past eight decades.  

“The targeting and killing of journalists in Gaza by the occupation army has reached levels unprecedented since World War II and represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights,” the PJPC said.

“The continuation of these crimes and violations and the failure to hold their perpetrators accountable indicates that the occupation government has external support that allows it to act in this horrific and inhumane manner,” the group added.

The PJPC also said that “the killing has become the main weapon to silence journalists in Gaza,” according to PressTV.

Meanwhile, the Gaza-based Government Media Office announced that photojournalist Bilal Rajab was killed on Friday when an Israeli airstrike targeted a group of people near the popular Firas Market in the center of Gaza City.

https://twitter.com/shimmeringolds/status/1852381284552634442/photo/1

It urged the international community and international journalist organizations to prosecute Israel before the international courts for its crimes against Palestinians and journalists.

Palestinian journalist Baraa Ali Daghish was killed by the Israeli army during an airstrike on a house north of the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Guterres denounces

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced the Israeli army’s killing of journalists in Gaza as “unacceptable”. He called for their protection from the genocide Israel is perpetrating in the blockaded coastal Strip.

In a message addressed to the 30th United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East at the UN office in Geneva, Friday, Guterres also criticized the continued Israeli ban preventing international journalists from entering Gaza.

He noted journalists in Gaza have been “killed at a level unseen in any conflict.”

He added journalists covering developments in the occupied West Bank were also killed or injured by the Israeli army.

“It is high time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon with the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the effective delivery of humanitarian aid, and irreversible progress to a two-state solution,” the secretary-general pointed out.

Journalists operating in the Palestinian territory are faced with increased dangers as they report on the conflict amidst Israeli ground assaults and airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and power outages.

So far, Israel has killed at least 43,314 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured 102,019 others.

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World Bodies Fail Gaza

The reluctance of the international system to implement decisive actions against Israel’s mass atrocities in the Gaza Strip, especially in the northern region, exposes a stark disregard for Palestinian lives and dignity, and fuels the continuation of its crime of genocide.

Stark disregard

Institutions like the European Union (EU), International Criminal Court (ICC), and International Court of Justice (ICJ), alongside various United Nations (UN) bodies, have deviated from their founding principles of protecting civilians and upholding justice. In over 13 months, these bodies have neglected their fundamental duty to safeguard civilian life and stop Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

This failure reveals a structural flaw in the global security framework meant to prevent atrocious crimes and uphold international law. As evidenced by the ongoing Israeli crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in Gaza, this system has faltered in the face of political calculations and the influence of powerful nations complicit in the genocide, fostering a culture of impunity. 

Turning a blind eye

Despite the gravity of the atrocities, the international community and justice mechanisms have largely turned a blind eye. At most, some entities have issued weak statements that fail to acknowledge the crimes accurately, emboldening Israel to escalate its offenses with U.S. and European support and armament.

For nearly a month, a full-scale invasion of northern Gaza has been unfolding openly, aiming to eradicate the Palestinian population and forcibly displace residents through terror. In addition to a crippling siege that blocks aid, prevents ambulance services, and shuts down hospitals, the Israeli army has conducted numerous massacres, killing over 1,300 people and injuring around 2,000 more.

On Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes killed 117 Palestinians in the Abu Nasr family home in Beit Lahia, leaving approximately 100 more trapped under the rubble. On Thursday, the Al-Ghandour family home in Jabalia was bombed, entombing about 120 residents with no rescue crews allowed to reach them. On Friday, the Shalayel family’s home was struck, killing around 50, with many others still buried under other homes.

Israeli murders

In blatant defiance of the Geneva Conventions, which mandate the protection of medical personnel and emergency response, Israeli forces have blocked ambulance and rescue crews in northern Gaza for ten consecutive days, denying critical services to tens of thousands. Hospitals, including Kamal Adwan in Beit Lahia, have been targeted, with patients and wounded people killed, all without intervention from entities like the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has abdicated its role in this attack.

Despite official denials, Israel is executing the “Generals’ Plan” to empty northern Gaza, dropping leaflets demanding evacuations of residents in Jabalia and Beit Hanoun. Israel has continued its siege, blocking food and aid, forcing Palestinians into confined areas through terror, starvation, and massacres.

This helplessness persists despite urgent warnings that “the entire Palestinian population in northern Gaza is on the brink of death due to disease, hunger, and violence.” UN officials, including those from UNICEF and the World Food Programme, have described the situation as catastrophic, with conditions resembling apocalyptic horrors.

Genocide and complicity

Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza since 7 October 2023, with the U.S. and Europe complicit by supplying weapons used to massacre Palestinian civilians and demolish their homes.

Civilians, who do not pose any threat to occupying forces, are protected by international humanitarian law if they remain in their homes or neighbourhoods during conflict. Euro-Med Monitor investigations show that Israel’s actions aim to eradicate the Palestinian people through forced eviction and mass killing, not for military objectives.

The ICC must step in to issue arrest warrants, prosecute those responsible, and fulfill its mandate to protect Palestinian civilians from Israel’s extensive destruction.

Immediate action from the international community and the United Nations is essential to prevent further loss of life in northern Gaza, end Israel’s ongoing genocide across the Strip, impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, hold it accountable for its crimes, and take all necessary measures to protect Palestinian civilians.

EuroMed Human Rights Monitor

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