Palestinian Envoy Alleges Israel Using Starvation as Weapon of War in Gaza

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh, has alleged that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war in the ongoing war in Gaza, insisting that the Israeli force is flagrantly provoking famine in the troubled Palestinian city.

Shawesh in his weekly briefing at the weekend in Abuja, said the war strategy by Israel is unacceptable and must be sanctioned.

He said it had been reported that 100 per cent of the population in Gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity, which is the first time an entire population has been so classified.

He drew the attention of the world to the words of UN Secretary General António Guterres, who said that: “Palestinians in Gaza are enduring horrifying levels of hunger and suffering … This is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded …anywhere, anytime”

Shawesh also recalled the words of the UN human rights chief Volker Türk that “hunger, starvation and famine” were the result of Israel’s “extensive restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and commercial goods”

He noted that as of last Wednesday, March 20, the record of casualties from the Israeli siege on Gaza showed that the death toll reached 31,819 Palestinians, with 73,934 injured and nearly 8,500 missing.

He added that there are 700,000 internally displaced persons taking refuge in only 20 per cent of the Gaza Strip, stressing that in the Occupied West Bank, there had been 436 deaths and more than 4,670 injured.

He decried that the Israeli war took many forms, one of which is preventing the entry of necessary medical supplies, especially for chronic diseases, noting that the health condition of 1,000 to 1,500 kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip is rapidly worsening due to the lack of medical services, medication, and other necessities.

He raised the alarm that Palestinian unemployment rate is set to soar to 57 per cent during first quarter of 2024.

“Another life-threatening issue for Gazans today is the presence of remaining explosive materials hidden under the rubble, on the streets, and everywhere else. Mine action partners are currently conducting assessments of the explosive threat and educating Gazans on how to avoid it,”Shawesh said.

Shawesh noted that the European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the opening of a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels, that: “In Gaza we are no longer on the brink of famine, we are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people,” adding that “This is unacceptable. Starvation is used as a weapon of war. Israel is provoking famine.”

He added that malnutrition is a devastating threat to lives across Gaza, as evidenced by the UN published report on March 15, 2024 where one in three children under two in the Northern Gaza Strip suffer from acute malnutrition.

“Malnutrition among the children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels…… at least 23 children in Northern Gaza Strip have reportedly died from malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks, adding to a mounting toll of children killed in the strip in this current conflict- about 13,450.

“Nutrition screening conducted by UNICEF and partners in the north in February found that 4.5 per cent of the children in shelters and health centres suffer from severe wasting, the most life threatening from the malnutrition,” he said.