EU says starvation is being uses as a weapon of war in Gaza

[AdamRyan]

Reported on the BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68550937

"Starvation is being used as a war arm and when we condemned this happening in Ukraine, we have to use the same words for what is happening in Gaza."

Strong words from the EU, close to calling what the Israeli Government are doing war crimes 😱

Back in November posters saying this would happen were called hyperbolic and worse. It breaks my heart that the West have let this happen, because they couldnt bring themselves to judge Netanyahu on what he did rather than what he said. Shows how fragile our rules of war actually are.

Strong words from the EU, close to calling what the Israeli Government are doing war crimes
Starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime so imo they have said it. Finally!

There are plenty of ways to get food into Gaza including through the border with Egypt. It's very strange, unique to Israel in fact, to expect a country to provide aid to the aggressor that declared war on it.

My question is, now what? Although finally acknowledging what is happening is great ultimately what good is it when people are being starved right now. The EU needs to act the same way they did with Russia. Harsh sanctions now.

I think you need to read up on what is happening if you think people are being starved to death because they don't know that there is a border with Egypt.

Don't know were to even start with this. Maybe do a bit of reading into how Israel are blocking and controlling aid and also a bit about Israel's responsibility to the citizens of an occupied state.

It's very strange, unique to Israel in fact, to expect a country to provide aid to the aggressor that declared war on it.
They are not providing aid that is being done and funded by many other nations, they have to facilitate aid getting through. Frankly your comment is so misinformed and you obviously think you know better then the EU, UN US, ICJ who have all got issues and concerns with Israel and their lack of cooperation with facilitation of aid and their use of starvation as a weapon of war

Did anyone condem Germany for using U-Boats to sink ships bringing food to the UK between 1939 and 1945? Did any neutral country charter ships to supply the UK with food?
I might not agree with what is happening but during a war food supplies are a target for the milatary.

@NotTooOldPaul

The significantly different circumstances mean that isn't an accurate comparison.

Even if it were, something having been done 70+ years ago doesn't make it acceptable to do today. Today, countries should be expected to adhere to today's rules about human rights, avoiding things that can constitute war crimes, etc.

Additionally, the actions of Nazi Germany in the Second World War are perhaps not the most sensitive comparator to use in this context. There are other conflicts, other military forces that you could use as examples in debates and discussions, which might have the potential to cause less distress to readers.

Really struggling to understand what your point is?
The Geneva Convention was initially signed in 1949 to provide specific rules to safeguard combatants, or members of the armed forces, who are wounded, sick or shipwrecked, prisoners of war, and civilians, as well as medical personnel, military chaplains and civilian support workers of the military and address war crimes. These are the rules we go by now. Also I don't remember people starving to death in the UK I know there was rations bit they had food.

I might not agree with what is happening but during a war food supplies are a target for the military. Maybe they are a target but it is a war crime and you cannot intentionally starve a population or obstruct humanitarian aid

I've done plenty of reading, thanks. Odfly enough, not everyone thinks the same way as this self-policed echo chamber.

No country is required to facilitate aid to its aggressor in war. Except this one strangely. There have long been problems with the UN and its reaction to the invasion and hostage crisis was unspeakable, not to mention UNWRA. The ICJ heard a complaint which is what it's there for.

Ok well the UN, EU, UK, US ICJ all think the same as us thankfully so you can claim we are in an echo chamber but the evidence is clear. You are forgetting one important piece of the puzzle, Israel has responsibility for territories
it occupies one of which is Gaza

No country is required to facilitate aid to its aggressor in war. Where are you getting this information? All innocent civilians caught up in a conflict have the right to aid and humanitarian organisations have the right to get it in to civilians

Waiting for the 'Israel haven't occupied Gaza since 2005' posts instead of the more accurate 'Israel say they haven't occupied Gaza since 2005' which is entirely different.

Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949.

Article 55 of The Fourth Geneva Convention
Occupying powers are to provide food and medical supplies as necessary to the population and maintain medical and public health facilities.

Thank you for your interest in the rules of war.

The 4th Geneva Convention was introduced in 1949, your examples of things that happened in WW2 are not relevant here.

Whether you agree that Israel has been a continuous occupying force in Gaza for decades (almost every human rights agency thinks they are) or not is irrelevant, they are now, and as such they have obligations, under International Law, which they are failing to meet.

I don't know if this has been shared before
"After five months of devastating war and destruction, the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza give the impression that its objectives go beyond destroying Hamas. As Major General Giora Eiland wrote last December in Yedioth Ahronoth there appears to be an effort to “turn Gaza into a place that is temporarily or permanently impossible to live in”. And indeed, almost everything that allows a human society to function has been destroyed: civil register, property register, cultural and health infrastructure, most of the schools built by UNRWA..."

Gaza: starvation and bloodbath | EEAS (europa.eu)

Genuine question: can Egypt get assistance into Gaza without kicking off a major conflict with Israel? What would happen if they opened the Rafeh crossing tomorrow and started driving trucks across? Would the IDF shoot them?

Israel keeps saying it's the fault of the aid agencies/international community for not getting enough food in. So, what happens if we take them at their word and flood Gaza with rations, water and equipment?

Seahorses Gaza is stateless, the occupants of Gaza are not "an aggressor".
Israel claim it's not up to them to "provide aid to the aggressor that declared war on it" while simultaneously building a road to divide North Gaza from South and saying "it will help Israel go in and out... because Israel is going to have total defence, security and responsibility for Gaza"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68514821

They can't have it both ways. If they want to assume "responsibility for Gaza" aftwr the war, they shouldn't be starving the population now.

Egypt can't unilaterally decide to open the Rafah crossing to let everything in, because of the potential risks to themselves of doing so. Could they physically do it? They could try, but would risk being drawn in to conflict themselves.

There are also longstanding tensions between Hamas and the Egyptian government which further complicate things.

There was an aid charity exec on the radio yesterday saying that even if Rafah was fully open, there is a bigger problem getting the aid from there to Northern Gaza where its most badly needed. She seemed to think the only workable solution was for Israel to open some of its border crossings in the North.

This is the end of Jan, the supplies were there but only two border crossings open
"All I can think about is the sheer volume of food – more than 21,000 metric tons – already in WFP warehouses, in Port Said and on trucks ready to go to the 2.2 million people living in harrowing conditions. It is frustrating and upsetting.
The food is here. We would be able to get more in if there were more border crossings. I feel like screaming it across the border so everyone in Gaza knows we are here, we are ready.
But between truckloads of food and the millions of desperate people on the other side is a 12km, sand-brown wall held firm by bureaucracy and politics."

Hunger’s border: Why aid trucks taking humanitarian gear and food into Gaza face long waits | World Food Programme (wfp.org)

Are yiu aware Israel still has to verify and approve that aid going through?

The UK was able to grow its own food (Dig for victory poster comes to mind). Public green spaces were turned into allotments. Ration books were introduced.
The IDF have destroyed agricultural lands, orchards and olive groves. This is well documented. We have satellites' photos to prove it.
They also prevent humanitarian coming in. Combine the two and you have deliberate starvation of civilians.
The IHL specifically "prohibits the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare – a violation of which may amount to a war crime. Moreover, objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies, and irrigation works, are specially protected.
They may not be the object of an attack, destruction, removal or otherwise be rendered useless".

Another article explaining Israel's blocking of aid eg Dates as the seeds looked suspicious
"Humanitarian workers and government officials working to deliver urgently needed aid for Gaza say a clear pattern has emerged of Israeli obstruction, as disease and near-famine grip parts of the besieged enclave.
The Israeli agency that controls access to Gaza for the multi-billion-dollar aid effort has imposed arbitrary and contradictory criteria, according to more than two dozen humanitarian and government officials interviewed by CNN."
and
"In a January 13 press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted about permitting “minimal humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza.
“We provide minimal humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said. “If we want to achieve our war goals, we give the minimal aid.!"

Anesthetics, crutches, dates. Inside Israel’s ghost list of items arbitrarily denied entry into Gaza | CNN

And today they’ve done this

https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/least-one-unrwa-staff-killed-when-israeli-forces-hit-unrwa-centre-used

Every time I think the IDF can’t stoop any lower they prove me wrong 😡

I'm assuming you're either:

• not understanding the situation out of lack of knowledge
• are so vehemently one sided with this that you are incapable of understanding basic information
• choosing to spread misinformation knowingly.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, and to put the record straight for anyone confused by Israel's role in this.

GOODS CANNOT ENTER THROUGH RAFAH WITHOUT BEING SPECIFICALLY CHECKED BY ISRAEL.

The same will be the case with the 'temporary port' - Israel will check the goods before they are allowed in. If one item is deemed unacceptable the whole truck starts the process again which takes months.

This is Israel's choice to check the goods. No one is forcing them to and it would be a lot more efficient if they didn't. They have chosen to strangle aid to Gaza in this way for years and they've been allowed to get away with it.

Can you imagine if all aid to Ukraine had to be checked by Russian forces first and we just meekly agreed and did this. It's bonkers, but that's what Israel are insisting on and everyone goes along with it probably because the aid would be bombed anyway if not.