Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), has accused Israel of deliberately causing the starvation in besieged Gaza through attempts to replace the UN-coordinated humanitarian system with the controversial "politically motivated" Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Forced starvation in Gaza "has been largely shaped by the deliberate attempts to replace the UN-coordinated humanitarian system through the politically motivated 'GHF'," Lazzarini said on X on Saturday.
"It is a so-called 'aid system' responsible for the killing of nearly 1,400 starving people," he added.
Lazzarini said that the forced starvation and humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave have been deepened by Israel's blocking UNRWA from delivering any aid for five months.
"Sidelining & weakening UNRWA has nothing to do with claims of aid diversion to armed groups," he said.
Punishment for living in Gaza
Lazzarini also accused Israel of deliberately punishing Palestinians for simply living in the blockaded enclave.
"It is a deliberate measure to collectively pressure & punish Palestinians for living in Gaza," Lazzarini added.
He called on the international community to act and make a decision to open the crossings so that desperately needed humanitarian aid can be delivered.
"UNRWA has the experience, staff & resources to contribute full scale" and reverse the starvation, he said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said on August 1 that seven more Palestinians in Gaza starved to death, bringing the total number of Palestinians who died due to Israeli-made starvation in the blockaded enclave since October 2023 to 169, including 93 children.
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that one in four Palestinians in Gaza faces starvation-like conditions, and 100,000 women and children are suffering from acute malnutrition.
