Elders group warns of Gaza famine, urges sanctions on Israeli leaders
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The Elders, a group of global leaders, say Gaza is facing an unfolding genocide and famine, urging sanctions on "Israel’s" leadership and recognition of the state of Palestine.
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Palestinians carry the body of journalist Mohamed Qreiqeh, one of five journalists killed in an Israeli drone strike, during his funeral outside of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital complex on August 11, 2025. (AP)
The Elders, a coalition of prominent global leaders, has called on states to take decisive measures to halt what they describe as an “unfolding genocide” and “human-caused famine” in Gaza.
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand and UNDP administrator, issued the statement after visiting Egypt and the Rafah border crossing from Aug. 9–12.
“What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza. There is an unfolding genocide,” Robinson and Clark said.
The Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, describe themselves as a group of “global leaders working for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet.”
According to their statement, the delegation “saw evidence of food and medical aid denied entry and heard witness accounts of the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, while trying to access aid inside Gaza.”
Urgent demands to open crossings and recognize Palestine
The group urged "Israel" to open all border crossings into Gaza, including at Rafah, without delay. It also called for recognition of the state of Palestine by “at least 20 more states by September, including G7 members, EU member states and others,” while stressing that such recognition alone “will not halt the unfolding genocide and famine in Gaza.”
The Elders demanded an immediate suspension of all arms and weapons component transfers to "Israel" and called for targeted sanctions on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet members. They also urged states to suspend existing and future trade arrangements with "Israel".
“The uncomfortable truth is that many states are prioritising their own economic and security interests, even as the world is reeling from the images of Gazan children starving to death,” the statement read.
“Governments that are not using all the tools at their disposal to halt the unfolding genocide in Gaza are increasingly complicit,” Robinson warned.
Clark added, “Many new mothers are unable to feed themselves or their newborn babies adequately, and the health system is collapsing. All of this threatens the very survival of an entire generation.”
Famine claims the lives of 5 Palestinians in the past 24 hours
Five Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours due to starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total number of Gaza starvation deaths to 227, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, including 103 children.
A six-year-old child, Jamal Fadi al-Najjar, has died from the Israeli-manufactured famine and malnutrition in #Gaza.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 12, 2025
In the same context, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that in the past 24 hours, five people have died due to the same reason.
This drives the death toll of… pic.twitter.com/3DxUZHd3VX
The ministry said the deaths reflect the deepening malnutrition crisis in Gaza, which the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has now confirmed as active famine in most of the Strip. Additionally, two out of three famine thresholds have been breached, affecting more than 2 million Palestinians.
Nearly 12,000 children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition, the highest monthly figure ever recorded. Additionally, more than 2,500 are experiencing severe acute malnutrition, the most life-threatening stage. Moreover, in Gaza City, one in five children is now acutely malnourished, a rate that has tripled since June 2025.
