
Gaza Is Starving: A Last-Minute Call For Action
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand joins the international cry of alarm: Gaza is starving — and the world must respond with urgency and conscience.
In recent days, shocking scenes have emerged from Gaza's hospitals: children too weak to cry, elderly people collapsing from exhaustion, entire families on the brink of death. Medical workers are reporting unprecedented levels of malnutrition and starvation across all age groups. Hundreds are now beyond the reach of aid unless immediate action is taken.
This is not a humanitarian crisis caused by natural disaster — this is a political crime, the result of Israel's deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, in violation of international humanitarian law.
This is a last-minute call.
We call on:
The Government of Aotearoa New Zealand to speak out forcefully against Israel's blockade and famine policies, and to use every diplomatic and legal avenue to demand an immediate end to the siege on Gaza.
The New Zealand public to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza — through protest, education, advocacy, and humanitarian support.
The international community to act now to prevent mass death, and to hold those responsible accountable.
We also urge faith groups, cultural institutions, unions, student bodies, and tangata whenua to raise their voices and stand alongside our Palestinian whānau in this moment of unprecedented suffering.
What we are witnessing is not simply a tragedy — it is an atrocity. The starvation of Gaza is not a distant issue. It is a test of our shared humanity.
Let history not remember our silence. Let us remember our courage.

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NZ Herald
7 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Analysis: Several smaller countries are taking a stand about Israel's conduct in Gaza
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Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
UN Experts Call For End To Anguish Of Families Seeking Truth About Disappeared Loved Ones In The OPT And Israel
GENEVA (18 July 2025) – About 4,000 Palestinians, including children and the elderly and 51 Israelis are still missing since 7 October 2023, UN experts* said today, calling on authorities in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory to disclose the fate and whereabouts of all victims of enforced disappearance. 'Enforced disappearances can never be justified, even during a state of war, instability or public emergency,' the experts said. Twenty months of assault by the Israeli army have resulted, among others, in widespread patterns of enforced disappearances among Palestinians in Gaza and other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including health and care workers, journalists, and other professionals, as well as women and children, the experts said. 'This has been facilitated through military orders and legislation allowing for indefinite detention without trial of so-called 'unlawful combatants' and others, in breach of international human rights and humanitarian law,' they said. The experts said attacks perpetrated by Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023 led to many Israeli civilians being killed and 251 victims taken hostage. The whereabouts of at least 51 hostages remain unknown. These acts are tantamount to enforced disappearances, they said. 'The urgent need is for an end to hostilities, unconditional freeing of all hostages, and certainty on the fate and whereabouts of all those forcibly disappeared, no matter the circumstances, whether in detention or deceased,' the experts said. Through its humanitarian procedure, the Working Group continues to register cases and see patterns of disappeared persons and victims whose fate and whereabouts are unknown, in particular with persons last seen while trying to cross from the north of Gaza to the south or vice-versa at checkpoints, from hospitals and persons arrested by officers of the Israeli Defence Forces during ground operations. 'These detentions are not properly reported to families, registration of deprivation of liberty cannot be verified, and those in custody are unable to communicate with their families or legal representatives or to seek legal review of the grounds of their detention,' they said. 'The pain and suffering for relatives of the disappeared can constitute a form of psychological torture and other inhumane treatment.' 'In cases of death in custody, authorities must promptly, impartially, independently and thoroughly investigate to establish the cause and manner of their deaths and return the bodies of victims to their families,' the experts said. Palestinian armed groups and Israeli Defence Forces must immediately, investigate and prevent enforced disappearances and acts tantamount, the experts said, calling for prompt, independent, impartial and thorough investigation, prosecution and sanction of those responsible. 'It is concerning that the figures for Palestinians who have been forcibly disappeared and missing are hugely underreported,' the experts said. They noted that relatives of victims are often reluctant to report cases or exchange information with Israeli Government officials, for fear of reprisals or lack of trust. 'We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza as well as the immediate disclosure of the fate, whereabouts, legal status and state of health of all Palestinians who have been forcibly disappeared,' the experts said. They called for their immediate release, unless they are charged with an internationally recognisable criminal offence and prosecuted in proceedings that comply with international standards. They urged families and civil society to report enforced disappearances and acts tantamount to relevant Special Procedures, including the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. The Working Group's primary task is to assist families in determining the fate and whereabouts of their relatives who have reportedly disappeared. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances raised these concerns in a communication to the Government of Israel, which is yet to provide a response. *The experts: Gabriella Citroni (Chair-Rapporteur), Grażyna Baranowska (Vice-Chair), Aua Baldé, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, and Mohammed Al-Obaidi, Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Alice Jill Edwards,.


Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Gaza Is Starving: A Last-Minute Call For Action
Statement from the Palestine Forum of New Zealand The Palestine Forum of New Zealand joins the international cry of alarm: Gaza is starving — and the world must respond with urgency and conscience. In recent days, shocking scenes have emerged from Gaza's hospitals: children too weak to cry, elderly people collapsing from exhaustion, entire families on the brink of death. Medical workers are reporting unprecedented levels of malnutrition and starvation across all age groups. Hundreds are now beyond the reach of aid unless immediate action is taken. This is not a humanitarian crisis caused by natural disaster — this is a political crime, the result of Israel's deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, in violation of international humanitarian law. This is a last-minute call. We call on: The Government of Aotearoa New Zealand to speak out forcefully against Israel's blockade and famine policies, and to use every diplomatic and legal avenue to demand an immediate end to the siege on Gaza. The New Zealand public to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza — through protest, education, advocacy, and humanitarian support. The international community to act now to prevent mass death, and to hold those responsible accountable. We also urge faith groups, cultural institutions, unions, student bodies, and tangata whenua to raise their voices and stand alongside our Palestinian whānau in this moment of unprecedented suffering. What we are witnessing is not simply a tragedy — it is an atrocity. The starvation of Gaza is not a distant issue. It is a test of our shared humanity. Let history not remember our silence. Let us remember our courage.