The lead editorial today of the Israeli daily Haaretz, in both its Hebrew and English editions, breaks through the prevailing refusal to cover the “continuing humanitarian crime” of mass starvation which the Israeli government is carrying out in Gaza—with the support of the Trump administration, as it notes. Haaretz calls on the nations of the world to pressure Israel’s “nightmare government” to stop this crime, a cry coming from within Israel that must be acted on.
“Israel’s starvation of more than two million Palestinians has been fully normalized…. [S]tarvation has become an openly declared policy and even a source of pride,” the editorial states.
“For more than six weeks, no shipments of food, medicine, tents or any other form of aid have entered the Strip. It’s not Hamas members who are paying the price, but rather hundreds of thousands of children, mothers, the elderly and the poor.
“According to a survey conducted by humanitarian agencies in Gaza, 3,696 children were hospitalized in March alone due to severe malnutrition. The UN World Food Programme has been forced to shut down all the bakeries it ran throughout the Strip, and most residents now rely on a single daily meal provided by UN-run kitchens. Most of Gaza’s population has no access to fresh food, including meat, dairy products, eggs, vegetables or fruit.
“The severe hunger crisis is compounded by a lack of clean water, widespread tent-dwelling, the collapse of sewage and waste collection systems, the destruction of the healthcare system and more. These are all cumulative risk factors.
