The REAL Reason Gaza is STARVING – EX-UN Chief Drops BOMBSHELL
Children in Gaza dying at ‘an unprecedented rate’: UNICEF
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The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday urged the international community to act swiftly to prevent the mass death of children in the Gaza Strip, where conditions continue to deteriorate amid Israel’s ongoing war, Anadolu reports.
“Today, I want to keep the focus on Gaza, because it’s in Gaza where the suffering is most acute and where children are dying at an unprecedented rate.
“We are at a crossroads, and the choices made now will determine whether tens of thousands of children live or die,” Ted Chaiban, UNICEF deputy executive director, said at a briefing on his recent travel to the Middle East.
Visiting both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, including both Gaza and the West Bank, Chaiban said this was his fourth visit to Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
“You see the images on the news, and you know what has happened, but it’s still shocking when you’re there; the marks of deep suffering and hunger are visible on the faces of families and children,” he said.
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Over 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, he underlined.
“Gaza now faces a grave risk of famine. … One in three people in Gaza are going days without food, and the malnutrition indicator has exceeded the famine threshold, with global acute malnutrition now at over 16.5%. Today, more than 320,000 young children are at risk of acute malnutrition,” he added.
What is happening on the ground is “inhumane,” he said, adding that what children need from all communities is a sustained ceasefire and a political way forward.
When asked whether he sees any difference after more and more countries are airdropping aid into Gaza, Chaiban said: “Look, at this stage, every modality needs to be used, every gate, every route, every modality, but airdrops cannot replace the volume and the scale that convoys by road can achieve.”
Chaiban stressed that it is needed to move back towards a volume of around 500 trucks a day through all routes, and that includes both humanitarian and commercial aid.
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German chancellor calls Gaza situation ‘unacceptable’
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “unacceptable,” according to media reports. Anadolu reports.
“One thing is clear to us: The situation there is unacceptable. It must end as quickly as possible. As long as it (this conflict) continues, at least a minimum of aid, medical assistance, and food aid must be guaranteed for the population. And Israel, of course, bears a considerable degree of responsibility for this,” Merz told journalists in the southwestern city of Saarbruecken.
Despite the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Germany has been one of the EU states to reject sanctions against Israel.
This was one of the reasons why EU governments were unable to agree on a proposal from the European Commission. The Commission proposed temporarily suspending Israel’s participation in the Horizon Europe research funding program.
According to Merz, his government will soon decide on the next steps in the Gaza conflict. He expects a report from Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul once he returns from his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Saturday.
“We will await this report and make all further decisions,” the chancellor said when asked whether the German government could imagine participating in sanctions against Israel.
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The government had already discussed in the Security Cabinet last Monday “how we might proceed together with our European partners,” he added.
Germany’s center-right government is under mounting pressure to adopt a tougher stance on Israel over what international human rights organizations say is a genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,200 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.
On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s health care system.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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Former EU foreign policy chief urges sanctions on Israel, accuses EU leaders of complicity
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Former European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Friday accused EU leaders of being complicit in Israel’s alleged crimes in Gaza by failing to impose sanctions, urging immediate action to uphold international law and human rights, Anadolu reports.
In an opinion piece for The Guardian, Borrell said Israel’s attacks on Gaza amount to genocide, citing the widespread killing and starvation of civilians as well as the destruction of infrastructure. He also pointed to daily violations of international law by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“But for all those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, there can be little doubt that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza, slaughtering and starving civilians after systematically destroying all the infrastructure in the territory,” he wrote.
Borrell argued that the EU’s continued inaction despite its legal obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement renders it complicit in the crisis.
READ: Sweden joins Netherlands in calling on EU to suspend trade partnership with Israel
“The EU has many levers it could pull to exert significant influence on the Israeli government,” he said, noting that the bloc is Israel’s largest trading partner and participates in several joint funding and exchange programs, including the Horizon and Erasmus programs.
He underlined that Article 2 of the agreement makes cooperation conditional on respect for human rights, meaning that EU leaders have a legal obligation to suspend the deal, warning: “Failure to do so would also be a serious violation of the association agreement with Israel.”
Borrell, who served as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy until 2024, said he had pushed for stronger measures during his tenure but received little support from member states.
“This inaction has already seriously damaged its geopolitical standing, not only in the Muslim world but across the globe,” he said.
“The leaders of the EU and its member states will probably be called to account in the future for their complicity in the crimes against humanity committed by Netanyahu’s government,” he wrote.
“The EU must finally decide to sanction Israel without further delay,” he concluded.
READ: UN agency for Palestinian refugees slams Israeli blockade on Gaza, demands opening of crossings
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Egypt’s Sisi reaffirms Cairo’s rejection of Palestinian displacement during talks with Dutch premier
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Friday reiterated his country’s strong opposition to any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land during his talks with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Anadolu reports.
The two leaders spoke by phone about bilateral relations and the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, according to the Egyptian presidency.
Sisi emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between Egypt and the Netherlands.
Sisi also highlighted Egypt’s ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and ensure the urgent and sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, according to the presidency’s statement. He stressed the need for progress in negotiations to release prisoners on both sides.
Israel currently claims that 50 of its hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 who are still alive. Meanwhile, over 10,800 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails under conditions widely condemned by rights groups as involving torture, starvation, and medical neglect, practices that have led to numerous deaths.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the US recently collapsed in Doha after Israel hardened its position on issues including full military withdrawal from Gaza, ending the war, prisoner exchange terms, and aid distribution mechanisms.
While Hamas has signaled readiness to release all Israeli hostages in a single exchange, conditional on a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to impose new demands.
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In his call with Schoof, Sisi also reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to restarting the political process based on a two-state solution.
He further stressed the urgency of launching Gaza’s reconstruction as soon as a ceasefire is achieved.
“Egypt remains firmly opposed to any plans to forcibly displace Palestinians,” the presidency said, reaffirming Cairo’s longstanding position.
In March, Egypt proposed a five-year, $53 billion reconstruction plan for Gaza, adopted at an emergency Arab League summit.
The plan explicitly ruled out any displacement of Palestinians. However, both Israel and the US have rejected the initiative and instead backed an alternative plan promoted by US President Donald Trump that would relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan.
Both nations have rejected such proposals, alongside other Arab states and international organizations.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
READ: Al-Azhar deletes Gaza solidarity statement after warning from Egypt’s foreign minister
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