International media join growing calls for Israel to allow humanitarian access to Gaza
On Wednesday, Amnesty International accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a weapon of war—an act the organisation says amounts to both a war crime and a tool of genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Four major international news agencies with correspondents in Gaza—AFP, AP, BBC News, and Reuters—have joined mounting calls urging Israel to open humanitarian access to Gaza, where civilians and journalists alike are now facing extreme hunger.
"We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. For months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering."
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"Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war zones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them," said the agencies in a joint statement.
Their appeal comes just a day after 109 humanitarian organisations made a similar urgent plea for the opening of access routes into the occupied Palestinian territory.
Aid groups warn that essential supplies have run out, and mass starvation is spreading rapidly across Gaza.
Even humanitarian workers are not spared, with many watching their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.
The crisis on the ground is stark.
One meal a day
Ibrahim Shareef Alashi, a dentist in Gaza City, told the BBC that hunger is now a daily reality for his patients—many of them children—and even for medical workers like himself.
He and his team are surviving on just one meal a day as “bread and flour are not available” in local markets.
"This is not because people don't have any money, but because there is nothing to buy at the market," he added.
The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the worsening situation, calling it "unacceptable."
On Wednesday, Amnesty International accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a weapon of war—an act the organisation says amounts to both a war crime and a tool of genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.
"The harrowing suffering of starving Palestinians in Gaza, including our own colleagues, on an hourly basis, is exacerbated by Israel's cruel and devastating militarised non-neutral aid distribution system. Over 800 people have been killed trying to access aid. This must stop now. Israel must reinstate the UN system of aid distribution and allow unfiltered, safe and dignified access to humanitarian aid throughout Gaza immediately. States must stop their inertia and urgently seek to act to ensure Israel fully complies with international law," the organisation said.
UK Development Minister Jenny Chapman echoed these concerns, urging for immediate humanitarian access.
"We urgently need the blocking of aid into Gaza to stop. As aid agencies are saying today, children are starving and will continue to suffer. This is why the UK is protecting our support to Gaza and the West Bank, including the 60 million pounds we announced earlier this week," she said.
As conditions continue to deteriorate, calls for urgent international intervention are growing louder, with pressure mounting on Israel to restore humanitarian access and prevent further loss of life.
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