A State Department official said that there is a “significant risk” of mass starvation throughout Gaza, and some regions of the Strip are “quite possibly” already in a state of famine. Millions of Palestinians are on the brink of starvation as a result of Israel’s brutal six-month military assault and a blockade on aid entering the Strip.
Speaking with Reuters, an unnamed State Department official said, “While we can say with confidence that famine is a significant risk in the south and center but not present, in the north, it is both a risk and quite possibly is present in at least some areas.”
The official’s assessment matches a warning put out by the international watchdog on starvation. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released a new report last week predicting famine in Gaza will begin within the next two months. For a famine to be declared, at least two per 10,000 people must be dying of deprivation each day.
“The latest evidence confirms that famine is imminent in the northern governorates of the Gaza Strip and projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024,” the IPC report found. “The entire population in the Gaza Strip (2.23 million) is facing high levels of acute food insecurity. This includes half of the population in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe), an increase of 530,000 people (92 percent) from the previous analysis.”
The starvation is worse in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands are struggling to survive. On Sunday, the UN aid agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, announced that Tel Aviv would not allow shipments of food or other assistance into the area.
Human rights groups have labeled the famine in Gaza a manufactured crisis caused by the Israeli war and tight restrictions on aid. In a report earlier this month, Oxfam blasted Tel Aviv for obstructing aid deliveries, including medical supplies. The report says, “Israel’s policies and practices continue to systematically and deliberately block and undermine any meaningful international humanitarian response.” The report added that “Israel’s control of Gaza continues to be characterized by deliberate restrictive actions that have led to a severe and systemic dysfunctionality in the delivery of aid.”
Israel has taken several steps to prevent aid from entering Gaza, including an onerous inspection regime that creates massive delays. Additionally, Israeli forces have attacked aid shipments and the police officers escorting supplies throughout Gaza.
On Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stated that “the spread of famine and starvation” in the Gaza Strip, was the result of Israel’s “extensive restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and commercial goods.” The court ordered Tel Aviv to allow supplies into the territory “unhindered” and “in full cooperation with the United Nations,” prohibiting “any action” that would obstruct aid deliveries.
The ICJ notes that a March 15 report from UNICEF found 31% of children under the age of two in northern Gaza suffered from acute malnutrition, “a staggering escalation from 15.6% in January.” The UNICEF report also warned that “[m]alnutrition among children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip due to the wide-reaching impacts of the war and ongoing restrictions on aid delivery.”
Aid groups have explained that without an end to relentless daily bombing, they will be unable to prevent the famine from getting worse. At least 15 people starved to death in the first week of March.
In a desperate attempt to reduce the suffering of Palestinians without altering its unfettered support for Israel, the US has attempted to air-drop aid into Gaza. However, several of the drops have been botched, resulting in at least 17 Palestinian deaths, including 12 who drowned while attempting to retrieve aid dropped into the sea.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Weasel words.
Seems to me that Israel and the US might be facing potential war crimes, over starvation of innocent people…
The war crimes exceed the famine, it’s also the killing of civilians, torture, destroying any remnants of culture and on and on.
But then war crimes are under the jurisdiction of the ICC and you’re remember Chief Prosecutor Khan couldn’t find time for the court to investigate US torture at Abu Ghraib and CIA’s black sites.
However, I also remember Malaysia prosecuted the Iraqi war crimes of Bush, Cheney and several others — found ’em guilty too, submitted to the UN and nothing more happened. But at least we get to call them War Criminals and prove it 🙂
Eliminating schools, universities, museums, libraries.
blame Hamas and those who support it.
Potential?
The criminals could be potential victors and could potentially decide what the war crimes are. If the Zionists would win that would be making the fox to guard the henhouse.
And Russia will definitely not face potential war crimes for similar offenses.
Hypocrite or just a fake peace activist.
Hmmm
Attempts to minimize/deflect, let alone justify, long standing and ongoing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by israel against the Sovereign State of Palestine and its People by invoking childish schoolboy logic that israel’s holocaust in Gaza is OK because of the alleged actions of another country is contemptible at best, and at worst, aiding and abetting genocide…
Hamas attacked on Oct 7 -they attempted to commit genocide against Israel-they were pushed back and now being hunted down.no genocide-self defense.
Hmmm
Well, yes and no. Hamas did exercise its legal rights under international law to “attack” by force of arms Israel because israel illegally invaded and is occupying their country by force of arms.
And for the record: The number of israeli civilians allegedly killed does not begin to fit the legal or even moral definition of a “genocide” while israel’s slaughter of 10’s of thousands of innocent women and children trapped inside the Gaza prison camp with literally no where to go or hide has already been ruled by the UN with the force of international law to be genocide…
As for the actual events of October 7th of last year, things are far
less clear. It turns out that israel has quietly but publicly admitted
that many of the deaths that occurred on October 7th were in fact the
result of friendly fire from the IDF.
October 7th is far more likely to have been nothing more than yet another israeli false flag attempting to justify the Gaza genocide. The most likely scenario was the IDF kidnapping several thousand israeli citizen Palestinians and killing them in an abandoned complex dressed up to be a “festival” (hence the friendly fire)
Don’t try to reason with a sock puppet. They high-five each other every time another civilian is killed.
Russia is not creating any famine
A State Department official said that there is a “significant risk” of mass starvation throughout Gaza, and some regions of the Strip are “quite possibly” already in a state of famine. Millions of Palestinians are on the brink of starvation as a result of Israel’s brutal six-month military assault and a blockade on aid entering the Strip.
Hard to imagine this could be old news. Our VP told us on March 3rd that “People are starving in Gaza”. That was 26 days ago. Did someone think things were going to improve from that point? They act as though time isn’t important. Hard to believe this shit is happening in broad fucking daylight.
Basically, she said they were starving, however, we will stop the weapons with which Israel will defend itself from Palestinian women and children.
Of course, they airdropped flour on top of people or shot them. That’s how they accomplish less people starving. Death cures famine.
This is your State Department having an epiphany.
Likely? Likely?
The ICJ also ordered Israel to provide a progress report on aid delivery in a month – a month? !*&@
Too bad the ICJ can’t be “ordered” to watch videos of Palestinian children dying of “malnutrition and dehydration.” Maybe if they were visually reminded of what a child’s body looks like when it’s literally eating itself to death their sense of urgency could be improved.
You cannot make this shit up if you try….! Talk and no action…!
Similar to Kamala Harris and Lloyd Austin Statements…!
Didn’t the Palestinian people vote in Hamas to be their government?
Would any of this be happening if Hamas had not attacked and slaughtered
Israelis last October? Do people reading this realize that all Muslims
are supposed to be conquering non-Muslim areas according to their
religious directives? This will not end until Muslims renounce part of
what their prophet wrote in their holy books the Quran and the Hadith.
Hamas is as responsible for the famine as is Israel.
They haven’t read that.
They just hate, US, Israel, Ukraine and anything West.
They do love everything/anything that is anti West to include Russia, China and their allies.
Way to go, Hamas!!!!
The State Department basically is watching a stabbed victim bleeding to death, refuses to call the medic but continues to provide the killer a sharper knife with each stab.
Hamas murderers are being brought to justice.
You call starving 1.8 million Palestinian as justice? You must be popular with the ladies.