Tehran – Israel’s brutal war in the Gaza Strip and its intentional hunger policy continue to be checked in besieged Palestinian territory.
On Friday alone, Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, including those seeking assistance. Since launching the attack in October 2023, Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians.
The nearly siege imposed by Israel exacerbated starvation throughout Gaza. More than 300 Palestinians, including around 120 children, have died from hunger and malnutrition caused by the lockdown.
UNICEF’s United Nations Agency for Children has sparked vigilance about the rapidly worsening food crisis. “It’s clear that hunger is absolutely destroying Gaza city,” UNICEF spokesman Tess Ingram told Al Jazeera.
Mohammed Abu Afash, director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, also told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces are targeting people awaiting assistance and people in the home. He said the situation in southern Gaza is extremely dangerous and cannot support the city’s population.
In a critical move, more than 500 UN staff members are urging the UN’s human rights director, Volker Turk, to officially acknowledge Israel’s war against Gaza as a genocide against Palestinians. Staff argued that Israeli actions met the legal definition of genocide. This includes conduct with the intention of destroying the nation, ethnic, racial or religious groups. The letter warned that it would “weak” the UN’s credibility by not labeling the Israeli attacks as genocide.
Israel has already been charged with genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for committing war crimes in Gaza.
In addition to international pressure, two prominent Israeli human rights groups were recently announced in early August, as Israel concluded that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. This is the first time a Jewish-led group within Israel has made such an allegation during a nearly two-year conflict.
Despite the rise in evidence and international condemnation, Israel’s Western allies, including the United States, have failed to take meaningful action to stop ongoing violence and genocide. Their continued political, military and Israeli financial support allowed the humanitarian crisis to deepen, allowing siege and bombing to continue. Many critics argue that without the critical intervention and pressure from these powerful allies, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza will continue unabated and will have devastating consequences for regional stability and international human rights.