Human Rights Watch calls on countries of the world to continue funding UNRWA to avoid famine in Gaza Strip
Human Rights Watch called on the countries around the world to continue funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians Refugee (UNRWA), given its pivotal and important role in alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe and the threat of famine in the Gaza Strip, which has been facing brutal Israeli aggression since last October.
The Organization website quoted Akshaya Kumar, the Director of Crisis Advocacy at Human Rights Watch, as saying:” “Withholding funds from the UN agency, which is the most capable of providing immediately necessary food, water and medicine to more than 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza Strip shows indifference to what the world’s leading experts have warned of the looming danger of famine”. She explained that the people of the Gaza Strip, including children, persons with disabilities and pregnant women, rely heavily on UNRWA services.
On the 26th of the last month, the International Court of Justice imposed on the Israeli occupation a number of the temporary measures regarding the case that South Africa filed against it, including the necessity of taking all measures to prevent the acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, and to ensure the immediate provision of the urgent humanitarian needs to the Gaza Strip. The court also asked “Israel” to submit a report on its compliance with the orders within one month.
Kumar pointed out that despite the increasing risks of the famine and the binding order issued by the International Court, the Occupation Foreign Minister announced that he would blatantly seek to close the UN agency that bears the greatest responsibility for providing life-saving aid.
Human Rights Watch noted on its website that since October, the occupation authorities have cut off basic services, including water and electricity, for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and prevented the entry of all types of fuel and necessary humanitarian aid. These are acts of collective punishment that amount to war crimes.
Human Rights Watch also found that the Israeli authorities are using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, by deliberately obstructing the entry of water, food, and fuel, obstructing humanitarian aid, destroying agricultural areas, and depriving Palestinians of materials necessary for their survival under a policy established by the occupation.
The international organization called on Western countries, especially the United States, Britain, Canada and Germany, to suspend (military aid and arms sales) to the Israeli occupation entity, whose forces are committing serious and widespread violations against the Palestinians that amount to war crimes.
Human Rights Watch said: “Contrary to their haste to suspend funding to UNRWA, even as the investigation continues, and despite drawing their attention to serious reports of possible war crimes against the Palestinians, these countries continue to provide weapons and military aid to Israel amid mounting evidence of grave violations”.
Souha Suleiman