Gaza - New York: Europe and the Arabs
On the 77th day of the aggression against the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces continued today, Friday, their raids and bombing on several areas in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of citizens, the majority of whom were children and women.
A young man was martyred when Israeli reconnaissance aircraft bombed the bicycle he was riding in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, while a number of citizens were martyred and others were injured as a result of intense Israeli artillery shelling that targeted Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
The occupation aircraft also launched several raids on Block 1 and 2 in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, while the occupation artillery bombed the eastern areas of the Bureij camp in the central Strip.
The ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has resulted in the death of more than 20,000 citizens, 70% of whom are women and children, an infinite toll.
This comes as the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination warned of hate speech and inhuman speech targeting Palestinians, raising serious concerns about the commitment of Israel and other states parties to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide.
In a resolution adopted yesterday, Thursday, under the Early Warning and Urgent Actions procedures, the committee said that it was "deeply concerned about the resumption of brutal hostilities in the occupied Gaza Strip on December 1, 2023, after a seven-day truce."
The committee expressed its deep shock at "the intense, brutal and indiscriminate Israeli bombing operations from the air, land and sea throughout the occupied Gaza Strip, and the expansion of the Israeli ground military operation into the southern Gaza Strip, which led to the killing of approximately 20,000 Palestinians."
She said, "The catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the occupied Gaza Strip raises serious concerns about the commitment of Israel and other states parties to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide."
The Committee also expressed its deep concern about racist hate speech, incitement to violence and acts of genocide, as well as inhumane rhetoric targeting Palestinians since 7 October 2023 by senior Israeli government officials, members of Parliament, politicians and public figures.
“More than 25% of families in the Gaza Strip suffer from extreme hunger, with the risk of famine occurring during the next six months if sufficient food, clean water, health and sanitation services are not available,” according to a report known as the Integrated Interim Classification of Food Security issued Thursday.
The report asserted that the entire population of Gaza – some 2.2 million people – “are experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.” The report showed that 26 percent of the population (about 577 thousand people) have exhausted their food supplies and adaptive capacities and are facing catastrophic hunger (IPC fifth stage) and acute hunger.
The report said that there is a risk of famine in Gaza during the next six months if the violent conflict continues and humanitarian access is restricted. This latest analysis of food security in Gaza includes data from the World Food Programme, other UN agencies and NGOs.