Twenty-seven foreign ministers and EU commissioners signed on August 12 a joint statement demanding that Israel give the United Nations and humanitarian organizations immediate and permanent access to Gaza in order to stop the starvation and suffering. These foreign ministers call for “a flood of aid into Gaza” to reverse a “famine … unfolding before our eyes.” The statement was signed by more than 20 European nations, as well as Australia, Canada, and Japan. It also calls for an end to the use of deadly force at aid distribution sites and states, “Civilians, humanitarians and medical workers must be protected.”
At least 166 people have died from starvation and malnutrition since the near-total blockade of Gaza by Israel, and, in the 17 days since Israel announced that it would allow increased aid flow, the daily death rate has actually gone up, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
According to the World Food Program, half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, while the entire rest of the population are enduring emergency levels of hunger. Three hundred thousand children are facing severe risk of famine and malnutrition.
