The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, has called on the Arab League to implement the recent Arab Summit resolutions and break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
“Signs of famine are emerging in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli occupation continues to prevent the entry of food supplies for the tenth day, in addition to the food shortages already in place since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Strip,” Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qassem, said in a statement on Telegram yesterday.
Earlier this month, Israel closed all crossings into Gaza, banning the entry of food, medicine and fuel aid to pressure Hamas to accept Tel Aviv new terms for a truce. Israel has since cut all electricity supplies to the enclave, effectively closing the only desalination plant in Gaza, leaving Palestinians with no source of clean water.
A spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thameen Al-Kheetan, said the Israeli occupation authorities’ denial of the entry of all humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is contrary to their responsibilities under international law, adding that the international community must not allow hunger to spread again in Gaza.
For her part, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, condemned Israel’s decision describing it as a warning of genocide.
“GENOCIDE ALERT! Israel cutting off electricity supplies to Gaza means, among others, no functioning desalination stations, ergo: no clean water,” Albanese wrote on X.
❌GENOCIDE ALERT!❌Israel cutting off electricity supplies to Gaza means, among others, no functioning desalination stations, ergo: no clean water.
STILL NO SANCTION/NO ARMS EMBARGO against Israel means, among others, AIDING AND ASSISTING Israel in the commission of one of the… https://t.co/x2cX4MuP0K— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) March 9, 2025
The International Committee of the Red Cross also warned that the suspension of aid to Gaza, including the cessation of electricity to the only desalination plant, threatens to push the Strip into a severe humanitarian emergency.
UNICEF: 90% of Palestinians in Gaza lack access to clean water