Iran (IMNA) – “We’re seeing food sat on the borders and not being allowed in when there is a population on the other side of the border that is starving, and we’re hearing Israeli ministers say that is to put pressure on the population of Gaza,” said Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, in an interview on Friday. He emphasized that using food as a weapon “is classified as a war crime,” adding that courts and history would ultimately judge these actions.
In recent days, Israeli forces have killed several Palestinians attempting to reach an aid distribution point west of Rafah in southern Gaza, which is under a US and Israeli aid mechanism. International aid agencies have warned that Israeli plans to control aid distribution—including a US-backed proposal—will only increase suffering in the devastated territory.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), criticized the new US-backed aid model for Gaza, calling it “a distraction from atrocities” and “a waste of resources,” noting that an adequate aid distribution system already exists.
Israel blocked all aid from entering Gaza on March 2, before resuming its military campaign on March 18 after ceasefire talks collapsed. Fletcher also warned Israel against forcibly displacing Palestinians from Gaza, noting that Israel’s far-right government, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, has supported US proposals to permanently remove Palestinians from the territory and redevelop the area.
An Israeli NGO has also condemned the US-backed aid plan, describing it as “designed to bring about the forced displacement of the population.” Fletcher urged Netanyahu to ensure that “this language, and ultimately, this policy … of forced displacement, isn’t enacted.”
Earlier this month, Israel’s far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that Gaza would be “totally destroyed” within six months, predicting that Palestinians would be so desperate they would seek relocation elsewhere. Most Gazans have already been displaced at least once during 19 months of Israeli military action.
Fletcher has repeatedly called on international organizations to take action against what he describes as Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. On May 14, he told the UN Security Council that it must act to prevent genocide, citing reports from colleagues on the ground of “forced displacement,” “starvation,” “torture,” and “deaths on a massive scale.”
“What they’re reporting is forced displacement. They’re reporting starvation, they’re reporting torture, and they’re reporting deaths on a massive scale,” he said. “And that’s my call to the Security Council and the world right now, ‘will you act to prevent genocide?’ History will be tough in the way it judges us. And it must be.”
In the latest Israeli attacks, more than 50 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip, with most casualties reported in northern Gaza following new evacuation orders from the Israeli military.
Source
Add Comment