Doha: Head of Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Network Amjad Shawa said that the UN reports on the declaration of famine in the Gaza Strip confirm that what is happening is not a natural disaster, but rather a systematic crime that proves the clear intention of the Israeli occupation to commit genocide.
According to Qatar News Agency, commenting on the UN report of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and the Famine Review Committee, which concluded that the Israeli occupation forces caused famine in Gaza, Shawa added on Sunday that causing famine as an act of war constitutes a flagrant violation of the entire structure of international law.
He stressed that in the case of Gaza, where the occupying power used famine as a means of war, this was a clear indication of an intent to commit genocide. He asserted that the famine in Gaza existed before mid-August and was the work of the occupation, which used civilians' need for food to direct them to death traps at aid distribution sites set up by the occupation.
He added that the occupation's systematic destruction of food systems, its restrictions on the entry of aid, its spreading of chaos through ongoing displacement orders, its widespread bombing, its collaboration with gangs that loot aid and prevent it from reaching affected populations, its weaponization, and the militarization of humanitarian aid are all clear manifestations of the intent to commit genocide.
He warned that any invasion or operations aimed at displacing the population of Gaza City would be a death sentence for tens of thousands of its residents, as the occupying forces begin to intensify their bombardment and attacks, threatening to destroy the city and displace its residents, while famine claims the lives of civilians daily.
Shawa stressed that the occupation, through its practices, committed serious violations of international humanitarian law, including starving civilians as a method of warfare, targeting objects essential to the survival of civilians (food, water, agriculture), failing to distinguish between civilian and military objects, launching disproportionate attacks, and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Shawa urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to declare the Gaza Strip a famine-stricken area and to take the necessary measures by all UN organizations to assist those affected.
He called for immediate intervention to halt the war of extermination waged by the Israeli occupation against the Gaza Strip, provide international protection for the Palestinian people, open all crossings into the Gaza Strip, and ensure safe humanitarian corridors for the entry of aid and medical and relief workers.
Shawa concluded his statement to QNA by saying that the UN Security Council is required to immediately take action to impose international sanctions on the occupation, to stop the aggression and completely lift the siege, pointing out that if the Council is unable to do so due to the veto, the UN General Assembly is required to suspend the membership of the Israeli occupation and adopt the "Uniting for Peace" resolution to put an end to the illegal violations, especially those related to the Genocide Convention.
The United Nations has officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first such declaration in the Middle East. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitoring system, concluded that famine has spread to the Gaza City area and will likely spread to other areas within the next month.