Amid a crippling blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation on the Gaza Strip for several months, the humanitarian and health situation continues to deteriorate catastrophically, threatening the lives of millions. The unfolding crisis reflects a pattern of violations that leaves no doubt that what is taking place constitutes an act of genocide, perpetrated in full view of the international community’s complicit silence and inaction.
In this context, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced that the number of child deaths due to hunger and malnutrition has risen to 57, as a direct consequence of the ongoing siege and the obstruction of food, medicine, and water deliveries.
The Ministry further documented the killing of 16,278 children since the start of the assault, with one child killed every 40 minutes on average. Among these, 311 children were born during the war and subsequently killed.
These figures serve as irrefutable evidence of a systematic policy targeting civilians, particularly children, as part of a campaign of collective punishment that amounts to genocide under international law, specifically the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The comprehensive blockade, the destruction of healthcare facilities, the prevention of vaccine imports such as polio immunisations, and the targeting of bakeries, charitable kitchens, and aid convoys, clearly illustrate a deliberate intention to destroy civilian life and deny the population the basic means of survival.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that shortages of essential medicines for maternal and child healthcare have reached 51%, posing an imminent threat of total collapse of the health system.
In light of these facts, Israel bears full legal responsibility for the catastrophic situation in Gaza. The continued absence of meaningful international accountability, alongside the global community’s failure to uphold its legal and humanitarian obligations towards the besieged civilian population, only deepens the crisis.
