A UN panel of rapporteurs said on Tuesday that the deaths from starvation of several Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in recent days “leaves no doubt” that famine has spread throughout the enclave.
They note that the famine is a consequence of Israel’s offensive following the attacks on October 7, 2023, by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian groups on Israeli territory, which killed 1,200 people and led to the kidnapping of 240 people.
Experts said a six-month-old baby died on May 30, a 13-year-old boy died on June 1, and another nine-year-old boy died on June 3.
“Three children died due to malnutrition and lack of access to adequate medical care,” they said.
“As these children are dying of hunger despite the medical care provided in central Gaza, there is no doubt that the famine has spread from northern Gaza to central and southern Gaza,” they said, before stressing that medical facilities have been severely damaged by the Israeli offensive.
“When the first child dies of malnutrition and dehydration, it is undeniable that famine has set in,” they said, condemning that Israel’s “deliberate and targeted campaign of starvation against the Palestinian people is a form of genocide and violence and has caused famine throughout the Gaza Strip.”
On the other hand, UN experts called on the international community to prioritize the delivery of humanitarian aid by land, by all necessary means, “to end the siege of Israel and establish a ceasefire.”
“The world should have intervened earlier to stop Israel’s genocidal campaign of starvation and prevent these deaths,” they add.
“When a two-month-old baby and 10-year-old Yazan al-Kafarn died of starvation on February 24 and March 4 respectively, it was confirmed that the famine had reached northern Gaza,” they said, before adding that 34 Palestinians had died of starvation since October 7, “most of them children.”
“Inaction is complicity,” they add.
The Israeli army launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attacks, which killed more than 38,200 people, according to the Hamas-led Gaza authorities, and killed more than 560 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in operations by Israeli forces or settler attacks.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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