'Israel' further blocks Gaza aid defying UN court: Rights groups
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Amnesty International stated that Israeli authorities have "failed to take even the bare minimum steps to comply" with the ICJ verdict.
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Palestinian crowds struggle to buy bread from a bakery in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024 (AP)
Two human rights organizations accused "Israel" on Monday of further restricting humanitarian supplies to Gaza despite a UN top court judgment.
Exactly one month ago, the International Court of Justice in The Hague declared that "Israel" must do everything possible to avert genocide in the besieged region. The ICJ further emphasized the importance of taking "immediate and effective measures" to provide relief.
However, Amnesty International stated that Israeli authorities have "failed to take even the bare minimum steps to comply" with the ICJ verdict.
ICJ decisions are legally binding, but the court lacks an enforcement mechanism.
Both Amnesty and Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the number of assistance trucks entering Gaza has fallen by around one-third since the verdict came out.
Omar Shakir, HRW's "Israel" and Palestine director expressed that the Israeli occupation was starving 2.4 million Gazans "putting them in even more peril than before the World Court's binding order."
Read more: Documents show Israeli forces fired on UN food convoy in Gaza: CNN
Shakir accused the occupation of ignoring the ruling and even intensifying its repressing, "including further blocking lifesaving aid."
UNRWA, the UN organization for Palestinian refugees, reported a "50 percent reduction" in humanitarian supplies entering Gaza in February compared to January.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini stated on X that aid should have increased to address the growing demands of the Palestinians, noting that regular border closures and lack of political will are to blame.
Lazzarini, stated Sunday that famine in the Gaza Strip can be prevented if vital aid is allowed into the besieged territory.
The UN has warned of an upcoming famine endangering everyone in Gaza, while the World Food Program this week described "unprecedented levels of desperation".
Lazzarini revealed that the last time the agency was able to deliver food aid to northern Gaza was on January 23, more than one month ago.
The last time @UNRWA was able to deliver food aid to northern #Gaza was on 23 January.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) February 25, 2024
Since then, together with other @UN agencies, we have:
🛑 Warned against looming famine.
🛑 Appealed for regular humanitarian access.
🛑 Stated that famine can be averted if more food…
Majority of Israeli settlers oppose humanitarian aid to Gaza: Poll
According to a new opinion survey, the majority of Israeli settlers reject transferring humanitarian supplies to Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, where the occupation has continued its ongoing war for 143 days.
UN special rapporteurs also warned that one in every four people in Gaza is malnourished, and nine out of ten households in some regions go hungry every day and night.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that the Gaza Strip's population is experiencing "unprecedented levels of near famine-like conditions" due to the prolonged Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Many humanitarian groups, including UNRWA, have been forced to suspend operations in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians without access to help.
MSF, Amnesty, others accuse 'Israel' of impeding aid delivery in Gaza
At a press briefing by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Refugees International, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and other groups, Avril Benoit, executive director of MSF-USA, told reporters that a potential invasion of the city of Rafah could transform the southern
