The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights warned of the continuing Israeli blockade and obstruction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip – despite more than two weeks having passed since the ceasefire agreement came into effect – is exacerbating the humanitarian disaster and genocide and threatening the lives of millions.

Gaza: still facing the threat of famine

The Centre called on the international community to intervene immediately and effectively to pressure the occupying authorities to open all crossings and allow the flow of aid without restrictions or selectivity, in order to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the afflicted population.

The Centre welcomed the recent advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which called on Israel to agree to relief programmes in Gaza and facilitate their implementation, especially those carried out by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), emphasising that the decision reflects international consensus against any attempt to undermine the Agency’s vital role.

The centre noted that the occupation has allowed only about 1,000 aid trucks to enter since the ceasefire began on 10 October, while the sector needs at least 600 trucks per day to cover the basic needs of its population of about 2.1 million, 96% of whom suffer from acute food insecurity.

Thousands of trucks remain stuck at the crossings, including 6,000 UNRWA trucks carrying six months’ worth of food, as well as hundreds of thousands of tents and shelter supplies, with winter approaching.

Genocide

The centre explained that the displaced are living in tragic conditions in tents and shelters that lack the basic necessities of life, after Israeli aggression forced them into displacement and destroyed residential neighbourhoods, leaving behind some 61 million tonnes of rubble and creating a vast human vacuum in the city.

They are also prevented from returning to their areas behind the so-called ‘yellow line,’ which swallows up more than half of the Gaza Strip, amid the collapse of water and sanitation services and the continuing destruction of infrastructure.

The Centre emphasised that Israeli control over the amount and type of aid is part of a systematic policy to subject Palestinians to harsh living conditions that amounts to genocide.

It holds the international community legally and morally responsible for ensuring the sustainable entry of humanitarian aid and enabling UNRWA to perform its humanitarian role to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of affected families in Gaza.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.