"Total siege" has been imposed by Israel on Gaza since October 9th, depriving 2.3 million Palestinians of fuel, food, water, medicine, and medical supplies"

During Israel's ongoing bombardment and siege, UN human rights experts report that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is unprecedented, with 80 percent of those experiencing famine or catastrophic hunger globally being Gazans.

"At the moment, starvation is on day after day, a quarter of the population is starving and straining to get food and drinkable water, and every single individual in Gaza is hungry. Pregnant women are at risk of dying because they are not getting enough food and medical attention. A whole generation is now in danger of suffering from stunting, and all children under five—335,000—are at great risk of severe malnutrition as the likelihood of famine conditions increases, the experts stated on Tuesday.

When young children's growth is stunted by inadequate nutrition, it results in irreversible physical and cognitive deficits. A statement released on Tuesday from Geneva claims that this will impair the ability of a generation to study.

In Gaza, nothing is safe. A "total siege" has been imposed by Israel on Gaza since October 9th, depriving 2.3 million Palestinians of fuel, food, water, medicine, and medical supplies. This is on top of a 17-year Israeli blockade that, prior to the war, had left about half of Gaza's population food insecure and more than 80% dependent on humanitarian aid.

While the majority of relief efforts are focused on the southern governorates, since January 1st, just 21% (5 out of 24) of the assistance deliveries that were supposed to bring food and other life-saving supplies have made it north of Wadi Gaza.

The experts are especially concerned about the situation in northern Gaza, where the population is experiencing prolonged food shortages and severely restricted access to basic supplies. In southern Gaza, where many people live in poor quality shelters or in places without even the most basic services, the situation is becoming worse.

It is unparalleled to send the entire civilian population into such sudden and complete hunger. Israel is destroying Gaza's food infrastructure and using food as a weapon against the Palestinian people.

Israel is demolishing agricultural land and obstructing access to the ocean. According to recent sources, since the Israeli military began its ground attack on October 27, over 22% of northern Gaza's agricultural land—including orchards, greenhouses, and farmland—has been destroyed by Israeli soldiers. According to reports, Israel has destroyed around 70% of Gaza's fishing fleet.

People are still without food and fuel to cook, despite the limited humanitarian aid that has been permitted to enter. Due to structural damage, a scarcity of fuel, water, and wheat flour, the majority of bakeries are not in operation. Because they are starving, they cannot produce food or serve as a source of sustenance.

Meanwhile, the healthcare system has collapsed as a result of the widespread destruction of hospitals, greatly exacerbating the spread of communicable diseases, and access to safe water is still decreasing.
Additionally, Israel has demolished over 60% of Palestinian homes in Gaza, making it impossible to cook any food and inciting domicide due to the widespread destruction of buildings that renders the area uninhabitable.

"We have repeatedly warned governments that genocide is a threat and emphasized the need for them to take preventative measures. The experts stated that Israel is deliberately destroying civilian infrastructure to impose a high rate of disease, prolonged malnutrition, dehydration, and starvation in addition to killing and causing irreversible harm to Palestinian civilians through indiscriminate bombardment. "To prevent starvation, aid must be delivered to Gazans immediately and without any obstacles."

"Since genocide progresses through an ongoing process and is not a singular event, our alarm for the unfolding genocide concerns not only the ongoing bombardment of Gaza but also the gradual suffering and death caused by Israel's long-standing occupation, blockade, and current civic destruction."

"The achievement of Palestinian self-determination is the obvious route to peace, security, and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians. This can only be accomplished by ending the Israeli occupation and imposing an immediate ceasefire. Special Rapporteurs on the rights to food and education, Michael Fakhri and Farida Shaheed, are the experts in question. Special Rapporteur Tlaleng Mofokeng on the right of every person to the best possible quality of physical and mental health; Special Rapporteur on the right to appropriate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced people, Paula Gaviria Betancur; Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on the state of human rights in the Palestinian Territory under occupation since 1967; Special Rapporteur on the causes and effects of violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem; Pedro Arrojo Agudo is the Special Rapporteur on the rights of individuals to adequate sanitation and clean drinking water.

End/voice7news.tv