Oxfam Blasts Israel's ‘Engineered Starvation' in Gaza
'Deadly airdrops and a trickle of trucks won't undo months of engineered starvation in Gaza,' said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's policy lead for Israel and Palestine. She stressed that only a full and immediate reopening of all land crossings, combined with a permanent ceasefire, can prevent further mass death.
'What's needed is the immediate opening of all crossings for full, unhindered, and safe aid delivery across all of Gaza and a permanent ceasefire,' Khalidi added. 'Anything less risks being little more than a tactical gesture.'
The organization's statement comes after the Israeli occupation forces allowed limited aid to be dropped by air over Gaza on Saturday night, measures widely seen by humanitarian agencies as symbolic and insufficient.
Rachel Cummings, humanitarian director at Save the Children UK, echoed Oxfam's criticism. She called air drops random and inefficient, noting that each one delivers the equivalent of just a single truckload of aid.
'We need to enable the United Nations system to manage distribution operations. As humanitarian agencies, we know how to distribute aid safely and humanely,' she said in an interview with ABC News.
Cummings described the situation in Gaza as catastrophic: 'Children are starving. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are suffering from malnutrition. Aid must reach people by land.'
The warnings come amid mounting international concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where famine is tightening its grip across the territory. Since Israel's total closure of all crossings on March 2, the entry of food and medical supplies has effectively stopped.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 133 Palestinians have died of starvation and malnutrition since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, including 87 children. Humanitarian groups warn that more than 100,000 children are now at risk of severe hunger or death.
Oxfam, Save the Children, and other humanitarian organizations are urging the international community to press Israel to fully lift its blockade and allow sustained, land-based delivery of aid.
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