Hunger as a weapon in Gaza
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Famine is rife in Gaza. Is hunger being used as a weapon? Israel and the US plan to send food and medicine into Gaza via the GHF foundation. This solution has aroused international opposition because the foundation consists of American mercenaries together with American volunteers. The foundation has no experience of emergency aid and distribution. The intention is that the emergency aid will be distributed at posts set up and controlled by the foundation in cooperation with Israel. The objection is also that this is not a neutral aid organization, but a foundation controlled by Israel.
Food and medicines most important
“The most important thing is to prevent the famine from becoming even worse. There is an urgent need to feed the population. Many people in the Gaza Strip are malnourished.
“Some of the emergency aid that has been given has obviously been sold on the black market. The prices there have been sky-high. This aid should have been distributed to everyone, free of charge. The aid organizations have had and still have difficult working conditions in Gaza, which has meant that the distribution of aid may have failed.
Israel’s reluctance to let in enough emergency aid is obvious. Lack of food has led to looting and black market sales.
“Who distributes the aid is less important to me. The most important thing is that it reaches the people.
Is Israel using hunger as a weapon?
To me it is obvious that Israel is using hunger as a weapon. Many claim it is a genocide we are witnessing. Perhaps it’s genocide, warfare and hunger combined. Hunger is probably not deliberately used to starve Palestinians to death, but to weaken morale and create inner turmoil. The amount of food and other emergency aid allowed into Gaza is too small. People are kept alive on a subsistence level.
More and more of Israel’s former supporters are now harshly criticizing the use of sunlight as a weapon. These include the UK, France and Canada. “As long as the US supports Israel and gives it almost carte blanche powers, Israel will continue to use starvation as a weapon.
“My hope is that the aid and distribution of emergency aid will get underway and that enough emergency aid will be sent into Gaza. Targeting the civilian population in the way Israel is doing will never lead to anything good in the long run. Israel’s warfare in Gaza is a breeding ground for the forces in Gaza that Israel is trying to remove. HAMAS are the ones who profit from Israel’s overreaction in the long run.
Sources:
The Guardian: Hunger has been weaponised as people in Gaza face mass starvation
Aftenposten: Emergency aid to Gaza is a long time coming