Israel is practicing a systematic starvation policy in Gaza

The International Crisis Management Group in Brussels confirmed that Israel has been practicing a systematic starvation policy against the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip since it retracted the ceasefire agreement last March, noting that the sector is on a brink of comprehensive famine amid strict restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies.

In a statement, the group warned that this policy has devastating effects on 2.1 million Palestinians trapped, suffering daily from food insecurity and health collapse.

The group stressed that what was happening in Gaza was not surprising, but was previously warned by it and by the United Nations and other humanitarian parties.

She explained that the policy of “controlled starvation”, which seeks to keep the population on the brink of starvation without the full fall in it, did not take into account the fragility of the Gaza population who were exhausted by war and deprivation.

The group called, with the high number of deaths due to hunger every day, to lift the siege immediately, stressing that “every truck is important and every thermal price is counted”, but the real solution begins with a ceasefire.

Regarding the distribution of food, the group stated that the new system imposed by Israel last May, which is the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF), proved its catastrophic failure, instead of cooperating with the United Nations agencies that have infrastructure and experience, Israel chose to distribute aid through security contractors and in chaotic ways that lack transparency.

According to the group, the claim to distribute 87 million “meal” lacks accurate documentation and definition, and does not amount to meeting the minimum needs of the population.

The worst, according to the statement, is that this method deprives the most vulnerable to obtain food and opens the way for violence and exploitation, which turned the distribution process into a daily battle for survival.

She emphasized that the repercussions of this policy have become fatal, as more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since May during their attempts to reach the distribution sites that are often far and subject to heavy guard, amid the shooting of the Israeli forces.

In a serious assessment of the health situation, the Brussels Management Group in Brussels revealed that Gaza shows clear indications of imminent famine.

Although the situation has not yet exceeded the technical threshold specified in the global food security classification (IPC), field reports from doctors and humanitarian organizations indicate that the collapse point is very close.

Doctors Without Borders confirmed, according to the statement, that it had treated during the first two weeks of July, three times the cases of severe malnutrition compared to what it dealt with all of May, while Gaza hospitals recorded between 10 and 15 deaths per day as a result of hunger, which is a number that exceeds the average deaths over the war months.

The International Crisis Management Group in Brussels indicated that if you start, it will follow a catastrophic, self -reinforcing pattern, as general weakness leads to the acceleration of deaths, especially among children.

She explained that the results of the United Nations food survey in Gaza in July revealed that more than 16% of children in Gaza suffer from severe malnutrition, a number that exceeds the threshold of the famine declaration, equivalent to four times the percentage recorded last February.

The group stressed that the lack of a ceasefire does not justify the policy of starvation, and the international community should not continue to give Israel a diplomatic cover in light of the negotiations.

She said: “The only policy capable of stopping mass death in Gaza is to open the crossings immediately with a comprehensive ceasefire,” stressing that “the death machine must stop, not only slow down.”