Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) condemned the ongoing starvation policy the Israeli Defence Minister had announced at the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip. The policy of “No water, no food, no electricity,” is drastically spreading across the Gaza Strip, especially in the besieged north, after basic food supplies including flour and rice had run out, in addition to the lack of drinking water.
More than 400,000 people are besieged in the northern Gaza Strip, including women and children, who are at risk of starvation. The situation is getting worse with the spread of epidemics and diseases such as intestinal diseases, meningitis, and hepatitis, amid a collapsed medical care system.
The besieged people in the Gaza Strip began eating animal feed and grass, and drinking polluted water just to stay alive. The situation is so terrific that some people began wondering if eating cat meat is permitted and whether this would cause them any diseases.
Throughout the 109 days of the Israeli war, all aspects of life have been destroyed, as the Israeli occupation has killed civilians, cut and burnt plants and trees, and whoever remained alive is trapped in the besieged Stripe to face a slow death of hunger, thirst or by diseases.
AOHR UK strongly condemns the ongoing policy of the Egyptian regime on the Rafah crossing, despite the accusations levelled against Egypt by the Israeli defence team before the International Court of Justice.
Aid is still piled up in Al-Arish and at the crossing, and only a small percentage of it is allowed to enter, at an average rate of 80 trucks per day, which barely covers the needs of no more than 7-8% of the actual need of the population of the Gaza Strip.
Depriving civilians of the basic needs of life and subjecting them to starvation is a deliberate barbaric act by the Israeli occupation supported by the colonial West, with the United States at the forefront. Such starvation falls within the framework of the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which aims to end completely end any presence of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
As the crime of genocide continues to take place, it is no longer acceptable for the Arab and Islamic countries to issue weak statements, denunciation and condemnation. These countries must use their power to stop the genocide against the people of the Gaza Strip and put pressure on the Egyptian regime to fully open the Rafah crossing and provide humanitarian aid such as food, water, medicines and medical supplies immediately to the affected population throughout the Strip.
