UN Agency Reports Desperate Hunger Messages from Gaza Staff
The UN and aid groups regularly report famine risks in the Palestinian territory, which Israel has been targeting with a genocidal ethnic cleansing for more than 21 months.
Doctors, Gaza's Civil Defense, and the aid group Doctors Without Borders reported a sharp rise in malnutrition cases in recent days within devastated Gaza.
UNRWA posted on X Monday that shortages in Gaza have driven food prices up by 40 times their normal cost.
'Lift the siege and let humanitarian aid enter safely and at scale,' the UN organization pleaded, adding that it has stockpiles outside Gaza that could feed more than two million Gazans for over three months.
On Sunday, the UN agency accused Israeli authorities of weaponizing food as a means of war against the Gazan population.
Philippe Lazzarini UNRWA's Commissioner-General deplored that the agency has been denied access to deliver food into Gaza since March 2.
'Food is available only a few kilometers away. UNRWA alone has enough stock available outside of Gaza for the entire population for the next 3 months,' Lazzarini said.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reported that 18 people, including children, died of starvation in 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday, bringing the number of famine victims to 86 Palestinians, including 76 children.
International calls to end the Israeli siege of Gaza
Today, 26 international countries have signed a joint statement condemning the criminal actions of the Israeli government against civilians in Gaza. The countries, including the UK, called on Israel to promptly call off its heinous use of starvation as a weapon against Gazans.
The signatories said that they have one simple, urgent message that Israel's genocide on Gaza must end now.
'We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.'
The statement also urged Israel to abide by international humanitarian law. Tags: Gazagaza genocideIsraelmalnutritionUNRWA
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Morocco World
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Gaza is Starving, and the World is Watching it Live
Rabat — Gaza is starving. If you are following any news source or Palestinian creator on social media, it does not take more than 20 seconds on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook to see a picture of a starving child on your feed. This footage has influxed so much to the point that a hashtag is now circulating #GazaIsStarving. This hashtag was reported over the weekend to have been used in over 5,000 posts on Instagram at this point. But, despite this larger awareness campaign, this is not merely a trend. On the contrary, these videos and photos are simply Gazans, reporting quite frankly for the world to see, that they are starving to death in a man-made famine in which Israel is solely responsible. These horrifying images of emaciated bodies are backed by numbers, reported daily. Gaza's health ministry recently reported that 15 people have died, including 4 children, due to malnutrition in the last 24 hours alone. This added to the rising, but likely under-reported, death toll of 101 Gazans who died from malnutrition – 80 of them being children – since the genocide began on October 7. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNWRA) has reported an even more alarming number: 1 million — that is how many Gazan children are going hungry. Bread or bullets What's more? Gazans everyday are having to choose between the harsh reality of continuing to wither away from malnutrition or risking their lives to get food. It is no conspiracy theory or false reporting that the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 'aid' points are merely danger zones for aid seekers. A Haaretz report released at the end of last month quoted IOF soldiers admitting that they were ordered to fire at unarmed crowds near food distribution centers, despite the lack of any threat being present. One unnamed soldier told the Israeli newspaper that 'between one five people' were killed everyday at these stations, which they described as being 'killing fields.' In a predictable turn of events, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected these claims, calling them 'blood libels,' but the on-site reports and social media footage by Palestinians themselves tell a different story. UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told AFP today that: 'As of July 21, we have recorded 1,054 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 766 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites and 288 near UN and other humanitarian organizations' aid convoys.' In the above post on Instagram, a man cries over his son, who was reportedly shot while they were waiting for aid at one of these sites. Hunger does not differentiate Even more insidious about Israel's starvation campaign is that weaponizing food affects everyone, even those there to provide help to those in most need. What started as reports of dying Gazan children and the vulnerable is now shifting into reports of malnourished aid workers, UN personnel, reporters, medics, and other volunteers working around the clock desperately to provide support for Palestinians on the ground. UNWRA reported that they are receiving 'desperate messages reporting famine' from their staff in Gaza, while Anera aid organization posted a quote from one of their staff members saying, 'People are falling on the ground due to lack of food. We are really hungry and can't stand on our feet.' An often forgotten part of the suffering amongst the sheer mass of human toll suffering are the animals that are dying from hunger as well. Alongside photos of their own emaciated bodies, Palestinians are sharing photos of their pets as well, skin-and-bone and struggling to get by. 'Gaza is dying, and we are dying with it' Meanwhile, some journalists are risking their lives even further to call out the inhumanity, reportedly going on a hunger strike until Gazan children can eat. Palestinian reporter Wadea Abou Al Saoud posted on his channels that he and a group of other journalists will not eat until 'the youngest child in Gaza has eaten.' AFP issued a recent statement saying that for the first time in its bureau's history, its journalists are facing death by starvation while reporting on the ground. The bureau gave details about the very small staff that is left in the besieged enclave, quoting their pleas for help. 'I no longer have the strength to work for the media,' one of their photographers reported, 'My body is thin and I can't work anymore.' The bureau urged immediate international intervention, stating that they 'refuse to let them die.' Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif reported that '85% of Gaza's population have entered the 'fifth stage' of malnutrition – the most critical and dangerous phase, which is often irreversible even if food becomes available in the future.' The journalist even broke down on a live broadcast – a physical representation of his words: 'I am staggering from hunger, trembling from exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment.' He continued, speaking for journalists in Gaza as a whole saying, 'We stand in front of the camera trying to appear strong, but the truth is that we are falling apart inside. Gaza is dying, and we are dying with it.' Weightless words Israel's war crimes are not going without official condemnation. The head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Jonathan Whittall post on X denouncing Israel's starvation campaign: '…Gaza is being starved. Malnutrition is soaring. Hospitals lack essential supplies and are collapsing under relentless waves of casualties,' he wrote, adding that 'a ceasefire is overdue, but that alone won't end this atrocity. All orders of the court must be implemented.' On Monday, multiple foreign ministers from 28 countries banded together to condemn what they described as 'the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food' in a collective joint statement. The signees included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. The statement marks a strong one as many of them, notably, are allies of Israel. Israel responded with an X statement by Oren Marmorstein, foreign affairs spokesperson, stating that they reject the joint statement, calling it 'disconnected from reality' and that it 'sends the wrong message to Hamas.' However, regardless of the slew of condemnations, these words are still weightless unless they come either with direct punitive action, and more specifically, from Israel's strongest ally – the United States. Humanitarian organizations, journalists on the ground, and Palestinians themselves are urging that direct action is more important than ever, and that this catastrophe has surpassed merely a need for awareness campaigns and hashtags. 'Bang the pots' Local, grass-roots organizations on the ground, such as The Sameer Project, are doing their part to help. The 'donations-based' aid initiative has a water campaign that they report provides 16,000 liters a day into central Gaza, specifically in Deir El Balah and Nuseirat, among other locations. They are also working simultaneously on other aid initiatives to provide medical services and food to desperate Gazans. The project has multiple ways in which those wishing to contribute can donate. People around the world continue to mobilize for the Palestinian cause, in a time when it is needed more than ever. Morocco's capital of Rabat witnessed thousands on its streets just this past Sunday, calling an end to the genocide and denouncing Israel's war crimes of mass killing and starvation. Bisan Owda, a name that needs no introduction in the world of Palestinian journalists and content creators, has joined the chorus of those calling for a world-wide mobile action on July 24 specifically protesting against Israel's aid blockade. This online and in-person initiative calls on the world to 'Bang the Pots' and make noise to stop Israel's man-made famine. 'You are not helpless, this is a call for action!' Bisan posted. 'Bang the pots, because the sound of sound of our empty stomach and voice of humanity must be louder than their brutality.'
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Israel's Genocide on Gaza: 15 Starved to Death in Past 24 Hours
Rabat — The death toll from Israel-induced starvation in Gaza is soaring at an alarmingly high rate, taking the lives of civilians including children. The Gaza Ministry of Health has reported 15 deaths, including 4 children, in the past 24 hours from starvation and malnutrition in the enclave, as Israel continues weaponizing food and aid entry. The world-wide condemned food blockade is increasingly bringing the genocide-torn city of Gaza into one of the worst humanitarian crises in history. In a statement, the ministry said that 'hospitals in Gaza reported 15 deaths, including four children, due to starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours,' bringing the death toll from malnutrition to 101, with 80 of them children. The Israeli approach is based on a dual strategy: by hampering the entry of food to Gaza, the occupation leaves civilians with little to no choice but to visit militarized distribution points. The first option leaves Gazans face-to-face with death from malnutrition and starvation, while the second brings them to areas subject to Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks. At least 51 Palestinians, have reportedly been killed by IOF bombs and snipers in the past 24 hours while scrambling for aid at these designated areas. In response to the dire and inhumane situation in the enclave, more than 25 countries have signed a joint statement calling Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the genocide and allow immediate entry of food and aid to Gaza. For his part, the chief of UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini indicated that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers in Gaza are 'fainting due to hunger and exhaustion.' 'No one is spared: caretakers in Gaza are also in need of care. Doctors, nurses, journalists and humanitarians are hungry,' he said. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa argued today that 'statements of condemnation and denunciation are no longer sufficient' in the backdrops of the current dreadful situation. The minister urged international powers for concrete action against Israel's strategic weaponization of food. He asserted that dire situation in Gaza needs 'immediate and sustained international pressure to open all crossings without delay, ensure the unconditional and unhindered entry of adequate humanitarian aid, and ensure that this aid reaches every person in need.' Israel has closed all border crossings to Gaza since March 2, denying entry of food and medical aid that has caused acute malnutrition to all the population, but particularly children and chronically ill patients.
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UN Agency Reports Desperate Hunger Messages from Gaza Staff
Rabat — As the situation in the enclave of Gaza worsens, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced Monday that it receives 'desperate messages reporting famine' from some of its staff in the genocide-torn city. The UN and aid groups regularly report famine risks in the Palestinian territory, which Israel has been targeting with a genocidal ethnic cleansing for more than 21 months. Doctors, Gaza's Civil Defense, and the aid group Doctors Without Borders reported a sharp rise in malnutrition cases in recent days within devastated Gaza. UNRWA posted on X Monday that shortages in Gaza have driven food prices up by 40 times their normal cost. 'Lift the siege and let humanitarian aid enter safely and at scale,' the UN organization pleaded, adding that it has stockpiles outside Gaza that could feed more than two million Gazans for over three months. On Sunday, the UN agency accused Israeli authorities of weaponizing food as a means of war against the Gazan population. Philippe Lazzarini UNRWA's Commissioner-General deplored that the agency has been denied access to deliver food into Gaza since March 2. 'Food is available only a few kilometers away. UNRWA alone has enough stock available outside of Gaza for the entire population for the next 3 months,' Lazzarini said. The Health Ministry in Gaza reported that 18 people, including children, died of starvation in 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday, bringing the number of famine victims to 86 Palestinians, including 76 children. International calls to end the Israeli siege of Gaza Today, 26 international countries have signed a joint statement condemning the criminal actions of the Israeli government against civilians in Gaza. The countries, including the UK, called on Israel to promptly call off its heinous use of starvation as a weapon against Gazans. The signatories said that they have one simple, urgent message that Israel's genocide on Gaza must end now. 'We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.' The statement also urged Israel to abide by international humanitarian law. Tags: Gazagaza genocideIsraelmalnutritionUNRWA
