A UN human rights expert has demanded sanctions on Israel for causing a famine in Gaza, where at least 10 children have reportedly died of hunger.
Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said in a post on X that Israel was deliberately starving the Palestinians in Gaza since October 8, when it imposed a blockade on the coastal enclave.
He said the blockade had cut off food, fuel, water, and medical supplies, and had worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where nearly 2 million people live under poverty and unemployment. Fakhri warned that a famine was likely already happening in Gaza, and urged the international community to take action to stop it.
“The only way to end/prevent this famine is an immediate ceasefire. And the only way to get a ceasefire is to sanction Israel,” he said. He also called for an independent investigation into the deaths of the children, who he said were victims of “collective punishment and war crimes” by Israel.
Israel has defended its blockade as a necessary measure to prevent the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, from launching rockets and attacks against it. However, critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment of the civilian population, and violates international law and human rights.