The Israeli Defense Minister claims that the blockade is a “pressure lever” against Hamas and that it is not planned to relieve it.
Hamas accused Israel of having openly used famine as a weapon of war, one day after the Israeli Defense Minister is committed to maintaining a blockade on the aid entering Gaza.
Deliveries of assistance on Palestinian territory have been interrupted since March 2, weeks before Israel broke a temporary cease-fire by restarting the air bombing on March 18 and then relaunched its assault on the ground.
Speaking on Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the blockade as a “main pressure lever” against Hamas, saying that it was not planned to facilitate restrictions – despite the UN warnings that malnutrition quickly aggravates in Gaza.
In response, Hamas condemned Katz’s remarks as “a public admission to commit a war crime”.
Israel “deprives innocent civilians of basic life of life, including food, medicine, water and fuel, for the seventh consecutive week,” the group said in a statement published Thursday in Telegram.
“We renew our calls to the international community to take measures to stop famine and the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip,” he added.
In March 2024, the United Nations International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must guarantee the delivery of essential aid – including food, water, fuel and medical supplies – in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly challenged the binding order, saying that Hamas uses aid.
“Food consumption is greatly deteriorating”
According to Israel’s Kan diffuser, Israeli defense figures believe that the remaining food supplies of Gaza could be exhausted in one month.
The Israeli army is considering means of providing aid “without it reaching Hamas”, including the proposals of “stationary aid centers” managed by international organizations in areas guaranteed by Israeli forces, Kan reported.
The Nour Odeh of Tel Aviv Tribune, Reporting of Amman, said that sources of the United Nations agencies told him that Israel wanted to pre -see who receives aid – essentially verifying the beneficiaries in advance.
“We have already heard that the United Nations could be acceptable,” she said.
The reports occur while the UN degenerates warnings from the deepening of hunger in Gaza.
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs Coordination (OCHA) said that 3,696 children had been newly admitted with acute malnutrition in March – an increase of 80% compared to February.
“Food consumption in Gaza has deteriorated sharply due to the blockade on the entrance to humanitarian aid and other critical supplies now during its seventh week,” OCHA said.
Odeh added: “It is the official Israeli policy: no food, no water, no help for Gaza, while Israel takes more and more the land of the territory.”