Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

'Israel' enforcing starvation in Gaza amid aid blockade, UN warns

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News Websites
  • 30 May 2025 17:23
  • 1 Shares
5 Min Read

The UN warns of forced starvation in Gaza as "Israel" blocks critical humanitarian aid. Top UN officials raise concerns of war crimes and call for international action.

Listen
  • x
  • A Palestinian girl waits to collect donated food at a food distribution kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP)
    A Palestinian girl waits to collect donated food at a food distribution kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 30, 2025 (AP)

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stated that "Israel" is blocking nearly all humanitarian aid into Gaza, leaving the population with minimal access to food and essential supplies.

OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke described Gaza as "the hungriest place on earth," warning that 100% of the population is now at risk of famine.

Laerke noted that while 600 of 900 aid trucks were authorized to reach the border, most have been held back by bureaucratic and security hurdles, preventing effective delivery. "What we have been able to bring in is flour," he said. "That's not ready to eat, right? It needs to be cooked..."

Blocked aid and bureaucratic hurdles

The blockade, which has been renewed following the collapse of the ceasefire in March, was only partially lifted last week. During the blockade, deliveries of food, medicine, fuel, and shelter were fully halted. However, the "lift" has allowed negligible aid compared to the humanitarian crisis Gaza has been enduring at the hands of the occupation. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent confirmed that half of its medical facilities in Gaza are non-operational due to a lack of fuel and medical equipment.

Consequently, Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian chief, told the BBC that the situation in Gaza amounts to forced starvation, a practice considered a war crime under international law. "Yeah, it is. It is classified as a war crime," he stated. While acknowledging that judicial bodies and history will make the final judgment, Fletcher emphasized the gravity of the current crisis.

Red Cross reports collapse of medical facilities

Tommaso della Longa, a spokesperson for the Red Cross, also highlighted the dire situation in medical infrastructure, indicating that humanitarian support is nearly impossible to deliver effectively.

Meanwhile, Fletcher urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to disavow comments made by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who suggested that Palestinians should be left in despair and consider relocation. "This language, and ultimately, this policy... of forced displacement, isn't enacted," Fletcher said.

Related News

FMs of Iran, Egypt push for Muslim unity, action to stop Gaza genocide

Saudi Arabia condemns Gaza famine as failure to deter 'Israel'

He added that aid is being intentionally withheld to pressure the population. "We're seeing food set on the borders and not being allowed in when there is a population on the other side that is starving," he said.

Global leaders condemn 'Israel's' actions

Growing international criticism has followed "Israel's" military operations. EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas remarked, "Israeli strikes in Gaza go beyond what is necessary to fight Hamas." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he "no longer understands" "Israel's" objectives.

The UK, France, and Canada have urged the cessation of military operations and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid.

Fletcher: 'Act now to prevent genocide'

On May 14, Fletcher warned the UN Security Council to act to prevent genocide in Gaza, citing reports of starvation, forced displacement, and mass casualties.

"In Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Sri Lanka, the world said afterwards we didn’t act in time. That’s my call to the Security Council and the world right now: will you act to prevent genocide?" Fletcher said.

What is the objective?

Following the easing of the blockade, chaos erupted at aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israeli-backed group. The UN, which refused to collaborate with the GHF, reported 47 injuries during recent aid distributions, when Israeli soldiers fired "warning shots" at Palestinians waiting to receive aid. The Gaza Health Ministry reported one Palestinian martyr and 48 injuries in the attack. 

جيش الاحتلال يطلق قنابل غاز على المواطنين خلال توجههم لاستلام مساعدات الشركة الأمريكية في نيتساريم وسط قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/6uYDOm9x9n

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) May 29, 2025

"Israel" resumed its onslaught two weeks after ending a ceasefire, citing pressure to free the remaining 58 captives. Fletcher emphasized that he supports the release of captives but warned that the current campaign exceeds that objective.

"I don't know now what the aim of this war is anymore. There’s a lot of talk about finishing off Hamas," he said. "Clearly, there can't be a part for Hamas in the new governance of Gaza and the Palestinian territories."

A broader humanitarian breakdown

Fletcher rejected claims by "Israel" that Hamas was diverting food aid, stating, "It's in our interest to stop that aid getting to Hamas and ensure it gets to civilians." 

He called for negotiation and mediation to resolve the crisis and reiterated the need to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza to prevent further loss of life.

Fletcher, who is also responding to crises in Ukraine, Sudan, and Syria, warned of a worsening global context, cautioning, "The Security Council is polarized, divided... it's getting harder and harder to end wars, and we humanitarians deal with the consequences."

Read more: 'Israel's' Gaza aid model is 'distraction from atrocities': UNRWA

  • genocide in Gaza
  • Gaza Strip
  • war on Gaza
  • Humanitarian aid
  • Starvation
  • Israeli aggression
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Israeli siege
  • humanitarian crisis in Gaza
  • Gaza

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS