Nealy 16000 children have died in Israel’s offensive against Gaza since October 7 and dozens have died with hunger.
Israel in its latest offensive has stopped humanitarian aid access to Gaza which is resulting in more deaths of those waiting for aid. According to the latest reports, an eight-year-old girl fell prey to hunger in Gaza today where food supplies have been stopped. The death toll is likely to reach much more if aid is not resumed.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reported dozens of children had died from malnutrition and dehydration in hospitals. Save the Children also confirmed the deaths of children from starvation and diseases. The WHO found children dying of starvation in Kamal Adwan and al-Awda hospitals. The UN agencies reported that 5 percent of children under the age of 2 were found to be acutely malnourished.
Since October 7th, more than 15,000 children have been killed. Today, catastrophic hunger took the life of eight-year-old Hanan Al-Zaanin. She died from severe malnutrition due to the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel’s blockades prevent humanitarian aid supplies from entering Gaza. So far, nearly 37000 thousand lives in the war-hit territory have been taken, of which now 60 percent are children and women.
The International Court of Justice and the top UN security body have ordered Israel to stop its aggression against innocent Gazans; however, Israel has disregarded these orders. America is continuously pressuring Hamas to stop reacting to Israel and is instead asking the aggressor to stop taking human lives and destroying infrastructure in Gaza. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in his latest statement, again forced Hamas to accept the US-proposed ceasefire deal. He said that Hamas proposed some changes in this deal plan, but they are not workable. Hamas demands that there should be a permanent ceasefire and a guarantee for the sovereignty of independent Palestine. Hamas agreed to implement this deal after Israel stopped its aggression.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu accused Blinken of bias for blaming the Palestinians for the failure to reach a ceasefire agreement, saying the US diplomat has been acting like he is Israel’s foreign minister since the start of the war. The Gaza Government Media says 15,694 Palestinian children have been killed since October 7.
The head of the WHO warned a significant proportion of people in Gaza are facing “catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions. The death toll in Gaza can reach to much higher level if immediate aid is not provided to hundreds and thousands facing acute hunger and treatment. The aid agencies say food aid in Gaza is not enough at all to save children. Amjad Shawa of the Palestinian NGOs Network said thousands of families and children in Gaza have been hit by a lack of food and water. “From day one of this war, Israel declared that they will deny the entry of basic necessities – food, medicine, water, and electricity to the Strip,” he said. All of Gaza depends on humanitarian aid coming in through the crossings that Israel has blocked. Children in Gaza have been dying from starvation and the Israeli government began using starvation as a weapon of war, a war crime, Human Rights Watch said.
Concerned governments should impose targeted sanctions and suspend arms transfers to press the Israeli government to ensure access to humanitarian aid and basic services in Gaza, by Israel’s obligations under international law and the recent International Court of Justice order in South Africa’s genocide case. “The Israeli government’s use of starvation as a weapon of war has proven deadly for children in Gaza,” said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch. “Israel needs to end this war crime, stop this suffering, and allow humanitarian aid to reach all of Gaza unhindered.”
International humanitarian law prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court provides that intentionally starving civilians by “depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies,” is a war crime.
On January 26, the International Court of Justice, in a case brought by South Africa, ordered provisional measures, including requiring Israel to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian aid,” and other actions to comply with the 1948 Genocide Convention.
On March 28, the court indicated that Israel had not complied with this order and imposed a more detailed provisional measure requiring the government to ensure the unimpeded provision of basic services and aid in full cooperation with the UN. It noted that “famine is setting in.” Then the court ordered Israel to immediately stop its offensive in Rafah, but Israel ignored this ruling and continued with its actions. Amidst this, Ametria continued supporting Israel, stating that Israel has not yet crossed the red line that could affect its aid.
Now through America Israel offered a ceasefire deal that Hamas welcomed but demanded few changes to it, afterwards, America has been pressuring Hamas to accept this deal without any demand. The US also took the support of the UN Security Council to its unfolded ceasefire plan. From October 7 onward, America was not found categorically asking Israel to stop this war and sit at the table with Hamas. America’s role throughout this war has been questionable for its Human Rights agenda and support to Israel.
Around 1.2 million of Gaza’s then-2.2 million are facing acute food insecurity, and over 80 percent are reliant on humanitarian aid. Israel maintains control over Gaza, including the movement of people, goods, territorial waters, airspace, the infrastructure upon which Gaza relies, and the population registry.
(By Rana Kashif)
