"Genocide" | Induced hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip

The acute famine in the Gaza Strip has long since spiraled out of control and can hardly be brought under control by the emergency measures that have been implemented since the weekend . The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that malnutrition is spreading rapidly and is endangering lives. The hunger crisis is now reaching "alarming proportions", it said. According to the WHO, there was a significant increase in deaths related to malnutrition in the sealed-off Gaza Strip in July. The situation is particularly bad in the city of Gaza in the north of the territory, where one in five children under the age of five is acutely malnourished. The situation is also devastating in Khan Yunis in the south.

In July, approximately 5,000 children under the age of five were treated as outpatients for malnutrition in the first two weeks alone. The highest number since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, was in June, with approximately 6,500 children. According to the WHO, this continues the significant upward trend since May.

At least 115 Palestinians have starved to death since the war began

According to the Al-Jazeera TV news channel, the Gaza Health Ministry announced last Thursday that at least 115 Palestinians have starved to death in the territory since the start of Israel's war against Gaza in October 2023. Most of the deaths, including many children, occurred in recent weeks.

"The crisis remains entirely preventable. The deliberate blockade and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian assistance has cost many lives," the WHO said, referring to Israel. The country has largely blocked independent aid deliveries to the suffering population in the Gaza Strip for months and is facing massive international criticism as a result. Even US President Donald Trump is now more outspoken, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his inimitable style, to provide food to the starving population: "I want them to make sure they get the food."

Israeli NGOs speak of genocide against Palestinians

The Israeli government's actions in the Gaza Strip have been sharply criticized internationally for many months . The accusation of genocide against the Palestinians has been described as plausible by international lawyers, Amnesty International, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Criticism is also becoming increasingly vocal within Israel itself.

In an unprecedented move, two Israeli human rights organizations have branded Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip as genocide. The organizations B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel concluded in two reports published Monday that Israel is committing "genocide" against the Palestinians.

"As Israelis and Palestinians living here and witnessing the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible ," said Juli Novak, head of the human rights organization B'Tselem, at a press conference. "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians."

B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel are the first two Israeli non-governmental organizations to accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of genocide against the Palestinians. With agencies