Israel must avoid 'policy of starvation' in northern Gaza, US warns

Humanitarian crisis worsens as attacks intensify

Palestinian children receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Khan Younis. Reuters

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Israel must not implement a “policy of starvation” in Gaza, the US warned its ally on Wednesday, saying such an outcome would be horrific.

Washington is stepping up pressure on Israel as it encircles parts of northern Gaza and ramps up attacks. Observers fear Israel is conducting a siege to try starve Hamas fighters into submission, in the process causing death and misery for the civilian population. The UN’s World Food Programme says no food has entered northern Gaza since October 1.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Washington's UN envoy, told the 15-member UN Security Council that any such policy of starvation would be “horrific and unacceptable and would have implications under international law and US law”.

“The government of Israel has said that this is not their policy, that food and other essential supplies will not be cut off, and we will be watching to see that Israel's actions on the ground match this statement,” she said. The ambassador said any attempts to improve aid flows so far had been “insufficient”.

Israel has been conducting a military offensive since October 5 attacking the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, citing efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operations there.

In a letter this week, US officials told Israel it must take steps in the next month to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave or face potential restrictions on military aid.

Ms Thomas-Greenfield also expressed “grave concern” over eviction orders in northern Gaza and underscored that all parties must abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2720, which rejects the forced displacement of civilians.

Danny Danon, Israel's UN ambassador, said that Hamas had been hijacking aid deliveries and blamed the Iran-backed militants for any humanitarian suffering.

Wednesday's Security Council meeting also saw condemnation of Israel's conduct in Gaza after its military on Monday hit a hospital compound in Deir Al Balah, igniting fires that tore through tents sheltering displaced families. At least four people were killed and dozens wounded, many seriously, according to Hamas health officials, with women and children the majority of the injured.

Video footage from the scene showed a man being engulfed in flames while onlookers watched helplessly.

The world has witnessed images of “patients and displaced people burning alive” who had been sheltering near Al Aqsa hospital, Joyce Msuya, Acting Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council.

“Scores of others, including women and children, are enduring the excruciating pain of severe, life-changing burns,” she said. “If such horror does not awaken our sense of humanity and propel us to action, what will?”

Ms Thomas-Greenfield said like so many people around the world, she watched “in horror as images from central Gaza poured across my screen”.

“There are no words, simply no words, to describe what we saw,” she said. “Israel has a responsibility to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, even if Hamas was operating near the hospital in an attempt to use civilians as human shields … We have made this clear to Israel.”

The Israeli military said the target of the strike was a Hamas command centre in the hospital compound. The compound was packed with families who had sought refuge there from the fighting.

Palestine’s UN representative Riyad Mansour called on the Security Council to intervene and halt Israel's deadly assaults.

“Israel is repeating the same pattern over and over again,” Mr Mansour said. He accused Israel of disregarding international law by denying protected status to civilians, including children and aid workers, blocking humanitarian aid, and systematically destroying civilian infrastructure. “Kill at will and explain that it is never your fault,” he stated.

On Tuesday, 38 humanitarian organisations condemned the escalation of Israel's assault on Gaza, describing it as a “horrifying level of atrocity”.

“Northern Gaza is being wiped off the map,” they said in a joint statement. “Under the guise of 'evacuation', Israeli forces have ordered the forced displacement of some 400,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza, including Gaza city. This is not an evacuation – this is forced displacement under gunfire.”