March 13, 2024 (EIRNS)—Nearly 800 faculty members, as of March 10, at academic institutions in Israel, among them experts in law, health, and medicine, have called on the government to take urgent steps to prevent starvation in Gaza. The signatories warn of the developing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and call for the opening of additional crossings for humanitarian aid and the removal of any obstacle to the entry of necessary aid. The signatories emphasize that action must be taken before the crisis gets out of control, and that preventing the crisis is a legal and moral obligation of the state. The petition states:
We, the faculty members and members of the academic institutions in Israel, believe that adherence to the basic values of humanism is a fundamental condition for the existence of a democratic society and a free academy. We were all shocked by the murderous terrorist attack by Hamas on the 7th in October, which was accompanied by a gross violation of every basic human norm, and is still ongoing in the criminal possession of our brothers, the Israeli hostages—who must be released immediately—and the indiscriminate shooting of Israeli civilians. Moreover, the Hamas organization also holds the population of Gaza hostage, by cynically using civilian infrastructure for combat purposes—above the ground and under it—thus turning citizens into human shields.
Precisely because of this, we cannot stand aside in the face of the humanitarian catastrophe taking place before our eyes in recent weeks in the entire Gaza Strip, and even more so in the north.
According to international agencies, and according to professional health parameters, the region is on the brink of severe famine. As reported, in the north of the Gaza Strip children are starving. Mothers cannot breastfeed. Families are forced to feed livestock. Citizens flock by the thousands to the few aid trucks that pass the bureaucratic and physical obstacles on the way to the region, and even pay with their lives for it. According to reports, sometimes trucks are hit by gunfire. The health system has collapsed, and hospitals suffer from chronic shortages of basic medical supplies. According to predictions by professionals, the situation could lead to excess mortality of many thousands.
