UN human rights experts have accused Israel of carrying out a deliberate and targeted starvation campaign to kill children in Gaza.
“Israel’s deliberate and targeted starvation campaign once morest the Palestinian people constitutes a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across Gaza,” 10 independent UN experts said in a statement Tuesday (9/7).
In contrast, Israel’s diplomatic mission to the UN in Geneva rejected the statement and accused the experts of spreading misinformation and supporting Hamas propaganda.
Gaza health authorities say at least 33 children have died of malnutrition, most of them in northern Gaza, which has so far borne the brunt of Israel’s military campaign launched in October.
In recent months, Israel’s ground invasion has also spread to southern Gaza, reducing aid flows to the territory amid restrictions imposed by Israel, which accuses UN agencies of failing to distribute supplies efficiently.
The deaths of a “six-month-old” baby, a nine-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old boy since May 30 show “there is no doubt that famine has spread from northern Gaza to central and southern Gaza,” the experts said.
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At a hospital in Khan Younis, Ghaneyma Joma told Reuters news agency on Monday she feared her son would starve to death.
“It was heartbreaking to see my child, lying there dying of malnutrition because I mightn’t give him anything due to the war, the closure of the crossings and contaminated water,” he said.
Determining whether a famine exists is in the hands of a UN-backed global monitor, called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which makes assessments based on a set of technical criteria.
Read also: Gazans Need More Than Just Food
Last month, the IPC said Gaza remained at high risk of famine as the war continued and aid access was restricted.
More than 495,000 people in Gaza are facing the most severe or catastrophic level of food insecurity, the report said, down from an estimated 1.1 million in the previous report in March. This level means people are experiencing extreme food shortages and hunger.
The Israeli mission in Geneva noted that the latest assessment by the IPC determined that famine was not imminent following aid access improved slightly.
“Israel continues to increase its coordination and assistance in delivering humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip, recently connecting its electricity lines to Gaza’s water desalination plant,” he added. (Al Jazeera/Z-3)
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