GCC demands urgent global action to end Gaza blockade
Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC, said the member states condemned the blockade, which has prevented the delivery of essential aid, resulting in a worsening humanitarian crisis. He said the situation reflected a clear breach of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.
'The Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, including its policy of collective starvation,' Budaiwi said. 'This constitutes a war crime that requires urgent accountability.'
He urged the international community, including states, institutions, and organisations, to take immediate steps to stop the siege, end the violence, and open the crossings to allow urgent humanitarian relief into Gaza.
Budaiwi reaffirmed the GCC's support for the Palestinian people and their right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination, as well as a just and lasting peace based on UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned of extreme food shortages in Gaza. 'We are receiving desperate messages of starvation from Gaza, including from our colleagues,' the agency said in a statement on Monday.
UNRWA reported a 40-fold increase in food prices, highlighting a receipt showing 1kg of sugar priced at $100, with flour, rice, and lentils each costing between $23 and $30. The cost of these four basic items totalled $183.
The agency said it has enough food stockpiled just outside Gaza to support the population for over three months, but the aid has not been allowed to enter.
'The suffering in Gaza is manmade and must be stopped,' UNRWA stated, calling for an end to the blockade and the immediate and large-scale entry of aid.
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