United Nations (UN) experts as part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council declared on Tuesday that famine has undoubtedly spread throughout the Gaza Strip. The expert declaration follows the deaths of three more Palestinian children in May and June.
Six-month-old Fayez Ataya, 13-year-old Abdulqader Al-Serhi, and nine-year-old Ahmad Abu Reida were found by the experts to have died from malnutrition, which underscores the severity of the famine in Gaza. The experts have reported that inaction from the international community equates to complicity and added that “Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people is a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across all of Gaza.”
Gaza has been mired in conflict since last October when Israel declared war following a deadly Hamas attack. The International Court of Justice has twice ordered Israel to prevent the obstruction of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which would infringe upon the Genocide Convention. Notably, these orders underscored the emergence of famine conditions.
The UN World Food Programme had issued a similar warning in May, marking the first official UN confirmation of famine in Gaza. Since October 7, 34 Palestinians, including many children, have died from malnutrition. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the conflict has resulted in 37,232 Palestinian deaths and over 85,000 injuries as of June 13, 2024.
The expert group, consisting of Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts, and Working Groups, operates voluntarily as part of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council. The group has called on the international community to “prioritize the delivery of humanitarian aid by any means necessary, end Israel’s siege, and establish a ceasefire.”
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