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https://theconversation.com/gaza-is-starving-how-israels-allies-can-go-beyond-words-and-take-meaningful-action-261783>
"In the past two months, more than 1,000 people seeking food have been killed,
according to the UN Human Rights Office. While the figure has been disputed by
Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which was set up to distribute aid,
28 nations this week condemned the “horrifying” killing of Gazans trying to get
food.
As the Israel Defense Forces continues its assault in the city of Deir al-Balah
in central Gaza, including an attack on the staff residence of the World Health
Organization on July 21, UN bodies are warning that the besieged strip’s last
lifelines are collapsing.
Already around 60,000 Gazans have been killed and growing numbers are now dying
from hunger and malnutrition, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry.
More than 90% of the private homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
For all the talk of a ceasefire – one that is long overdue – there is little
hope. Israeli military operations continue and Gazans must risk their lives in
search of food and aid.
Malnutrition is rife. According to the IPC’s report in May – the international
organisation that monitors food security – “goods indispensable for people’s
survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks” with
nearly 500,000 people considered to be facing “catastrophe”, with a further 1.1
million in an “emergency” risk category.
For the IPC, the catastrophe category is one of extreme food shortages,
critical malnutrition leading to starvation and high death rates. The emergency
category is one of severe food shortages, very high malnutrition and even
death.
Israeli officials continue to speak of moving Gazans into what has been termed
a “humanitarian city” but what former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert
described as a “concentration camp”. In the same interview Olmert called
decision to move Gazans into the camp as “ethnic cleansing”.
All the while, the world’s leaders look on. Most are apparently content to
condemn – but little action has been taken.
The clamour for Israel’s allies to take a harder stance on its actions in Gaza
is growing louder by the day. On July 23, a group of 38 former EU ambassadors
published an open letter to EU heads of states and senior officials accusing
Israel of taking “calculated steps towards ethnic cleansing” and calling out
the EU’s failure to “respond meaningfully to these horrific events”.
But what do actions look like? Pressure must be applied to the Netanyahu
government. In the UK, both prime minister Keir Starmer and foreign minister
David Lammy have been quick to stress that the UK has urged Israel to respect
international law."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
