Widespread Famine and Preventable Deaths in Gaza: International Community Urged to Act

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed profound concern over widespread famine and preventable deaths in the Gaza Strip. According to a new analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), more than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution, and preventable deaths. The OIC has called for immediate political and legal response from the international community, urging the Israeli occupation authorities to allow unhindered humanitarian aid to reach trapped civilians in Gaza.

Key Takeaways:

• The IPC analysis confirms that there is a crime against humanity in Gaza, requiring immediate international response.
• The Israeli occupation authorities bear full responsibility for the famine, resulting from the illegal siege on Gaza and bar to humanitarian aid.
• The OIC has urged the international community to mobilize emergency response mechanisms to ensure the flow of famine relief to Gaza, and to refer the crimes of siege and starvation to the International Criminal Court.
• The Organization has renewed calls for countries to impose sanctions on the Israeli occupation authorities, including an arms embargo, and to support the international mechanism of justice and accountability.
• The OIC has also highlighted the importance of enabling UN aid agencies to resume their activities and provide relief efforts for the Gazans.
• The UN agencies (FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO) have jointly called for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to curb deaths from hunger and malnutrition.

Statistics:

• More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marking widespread starvation, destitution, and preventable deaths.
• The famine is a direct result of the Israeli occupation's illegal siege on Gaza and bar to humanitarian aid.
• The IPC analysis confirms that immediate international response is necessary to prevent further deaths from hunger and malnutrition.
• 47% of Gaza's kitchen gardens and agricultural lands are currently not being used.
• According to data from the World Food Programme, 2.3 million people in Gaza lack access to basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter. [1]

Sources:

• The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• The World Food Programme (WFP)
• The World Health Organization (WHO)