Geneva - Gaza: Europe and the Arabs
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights declared on Tuesday that the use of food as a weapon in Gaza constitutes a war crime.
“Desperate and hungry Gazans continue to face an inhumane choice between starving to death or risking death while trying to access food,” Thameen Al-Khitan told reporters at a press conference in Geneva, referring to a series of deadly shootings near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s (GHF) distribution sites.
He added: “The use of food as a weapon against civilians, in addition to restricting or denying their access to essential services, is a war crime and may, under certain circumstances, constitute elements of other crimes under international law.” This came after fifteen human rights organizations called on the controversial GHF to cease its activities in the besieged Gaza Strip. In an open letter, several prominent organizations warned of complicity in “war crimes.”
Since GHF began distributing aid in late May, 450 people have been killed and 3,500 injured at its distribution centers. Thousands of people travel to different parts of the Strip every day in the hope of obtaining food. But Gazans are regularly killed. The organization denies responsibility. "This new model of private and militarized aid distribution represents a radical and dangerous break with established international humanitarian operations," it says. The signatories condemn the "inhumane and murderous" nature of this system. We call on GHF and all organizations and individuals who have supported or are supporting the work of GHF and the private military companies operating in the distribution centers to cease their activities.
Failure to do so could expose these organizations and their leaders to criminal and civil liability for complicity in crimes under international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Among the signatories to this letter are the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), the American Center for Constitutional Rights, and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). UN agencies and international NGOs operating in the Gaza Strip refuse to cooperate with GHF, a newly established organization that does not operate transparently. The United States and Israel provide support to this controversial organization.
Separately, the Israeli opposition has called for a ceasefire in Gaza next year. Yair Golan, leader of the center-left Israeli Democratic Party, urged the government to follow up on Iran's ceasefire announcement by agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Golan said in a letter on X: "It's time to complete the mission: re- All the hostages, an end to the war in Gaza, and a halt to the coup that threatens to leave Israel weak, divided, and permanently vulnerable.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid made a similar appeal. “And now Gaza,” he told The Times of Israel. “It’s time to prepare there too. Return the hostages, end the war. Israel must begin rebuilding.”