The leaders view that “the decision proves the truth of the Palestinian narrative and refutes all the claims made by Israel concerning the delivery of aid, while at the same time requiring international will and urgent, decisive action to stop the war, deliver aid, and save the residents of the sector.” The United Nations announced today, Friday, for the first time since the Israeli war on the sector began about two years ago. Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that “Israeli authorities must take immediate action to end the famine in the Gaza Strip and allow all humanitarian aid access.” He added, “The famine in Gaza is a direct result of Israel’s deliberate actions… Using hunger as a tool of war is a war crime. Israeli authorities must take immediate action to end the famine in the Gaza Strip and allow all humanitarian aid.” Dr. Tayseer Nasrallah, a member of the Revolutionary Council of the Fatah Movement, said that “the decision to declare famine in the Gaza Strip comes while the Palestinian people are still subjected to the genocidal war by Israeli occupation forces.” According to his conversation with Sputnik, “The issuance of the decision by the highest international body in the world means that the war of starvation and thirst that Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip are subjected to is a real and undeniable fact, and all the occupation’s claims of its non-occurrence are no longer believed by anyone.” The Fatah movement leader clarified that “this announcement came to confirm the obvious for the Palestinian people and to start actual calls for prosecuting Israeli war criminals and working to change the existing situation in Gaza.” He concluded by saying, “International condemnations of the genocidal war are no longer sufficient alone, but must be supported by practical and pressing positions to force the Israeli occupation to stop the war and withdraw from the Gaza Strip and other occupied Palestinian territories.” Dr. Kifah Harb, a member of the Fatah Movement’s Revolutionary Council, emphasized the importance of the UN decision to officially declare famine in the Gaza Strip. Regarding the implications of the decision and its outcomes on the war, Harb believes that “the decision will not change the tragic situation or stop the ongoing criminal war in the Gaza Strip as long as it remains just a decision and condemnation.” She continued, “This decision must be accompanied by firm and serious international movement to push Israel to stop the genocide it practices against Palestinians in Gaza, save the sector from collapse, and save the residents from death.” In previous statements to Sputnik, Dr. Adnan Abu Hasna, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, said that the decision to declare famine in Gaza is extremely important and is the result of accurate reports, data, and statistics from various parties about what is happening in the sector. He emphasized that in the face of the systematic starvation happening in the Gaza Strip, the world must truly rise to stop this man-made famine, created by Israel after it prevented the entry of humanitarian aid and hindered the distribution of foodstuffs by the United Nations.” He explained that the data discussed in the report are serious and unprecedented, expressing hope that this report will represent a turning point in the world’s view of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and force Israel to open the crossings to prevent a wider spread of this famine declared today in Gaza City, especially as the report also talks about the potential extension to the southern Gaza Strip, particularly in the Khan Yunis, Nuseirat, and central camps areas. The UNRWA Commissioner-General confirmed that “the famine in Gaza is a direct result of Israel’s ban on the entry of food and essential materials for months,” stressing that “halting the spread of the famine is possible through a ceasefire and allowing humanitarian organizations to perform their work,” emphasizing that “allowing this situation to continue in Gaza with impunity cannot persist.” According to estimates, more than 640,000 people in the Gaza Strip will face catastrophic levels of food insecurity by the end of September, which the UN classifies as the “fifth phase” of the global food security scenario. Another 1.14 million people in this area will live in emergency conditions, and another 396,000 will live in crisis conditions.
