Thirty years on from Srebrenica, why is Gaza slipping down the news-cycle?

By Zaid Patel

With the world’s attention shifting towards heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza stands at risk of fading into obscurity, struggling to attract the eyes of the world to a place where “the attempt to survive is being met with a death sentence”. On June 17th, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that 144 new bodies arrive to hospitals every single day-bringing the number of deaths to a chilling 56,600 Palestinians, the majority of that number consisting of innocent civilians. Meanwhile, the United Nations repeatedly warn of the looming famine and mass starvation, a danger quieter than bombardment, but just as fatal.

The GHF plan is, in effect, simply a way to allow Israeli forces to control the amount of aid received by starving Palestinians, a tool to weaponise aid for political gain.

Following the attacks of October 7th, 2023, Israel has instituted a total blockade, enforcing the restriction of humanitarian essentials from entering Gaza. Food, water, medicine and fuel, taken away from those living in a war torn land, with three-quarters of Gaza’s population at an “Emergency” or “Catastrophic” level of nutritional deprivation. The World Health Organisation reports that since the blockade began in early March, 57 children have died of malnutrition and nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be malnourished over the next year. In addition, at least 94% of all hospitals in the Gaza strip have been damaged or destroyed with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross stating that Gaza has become worse than “hell on Earth”.

To provide a solution, away from the cries of world leaders internationally, the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF) was formed as an Israeli approved organisation that aims to resolve the humanitarian crisis. This US backed body has, however, faced criticism by international aid groups and the UN stating that this is simply a move to politicise aid, and is run by those who do not have the experience to provide aid for over two million desperate people. The GHF plan is, in effect, simply a way to allow Israeli forces to control the amount of aid received by starving Palestinians, a tool to weaponise aid for political gain. Hanan Salah of the Human Rights Watch states that allowing such a basic amount of food into the Gaza strip was “complicity in using starvation as a method of warfare”.

Deliberately blocking essentials for an entire population is collective punishment, with many calling Israeli actions “disproportionate”.

When the circumstances seem as bleak as they can possibly be, then arises the issue of the “death trap”. With suffering Palestinian people running desperately towards aid distribution centres for a morsel of sustenance, they are met with open fire. At least 46 people waiting for aid were killed in central and southern Gaza on the 24th of June, with UN agencies condemning the Israel and US backed food group. The al-Awda hospital was greeted with scenes of men with gunshot wounds, from tanks that advanced towards them and opened fire. Whilst the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claims that the aid distribution is in line with “international standards”, this is not the first case of civilians being killed whilst seeking food and aid. On the 20th of June, Israeli drones and tanks killed 23 Palestinians who had gathered near an aid distribution site. Israel is still allowing the entry of lorries carrying aid from the UN, yet the inadequate amount of food coupled with the danger that surrounds aid distribution centres, provides a clearer picture of Israel’s priorities.

Israel has now committed numerous violations of International Humanitarian Law with the use of starvation as a method of warfare, emphasising the sheer number of war crimes being committed under the Geneva Conventions. Deliberately blocking essentials for an entire population is collective punishment, with many calling Israeli actions “disproportionate”. Yet as the world condemns and exercises their disapproval, the death toll increases, Palestinian civilians continue to starve and the heinous actions of the IDF continue to occur. The restriction of international journalists into Gaza allows for war crimes to continue behind closed doors, with slivers of information escaping through doctors and aid workers in order to alert the world. When questioned as to why journalists are barred from entering Gaza, interviewers are often met with a rebuttal that unfairly labels them as anti-Semitic or support for Hamas.

Gaza continues to face a crisis. Violence and death surrounds, while the silent scourge of starvation continues to consume Gazans daily. These conditions implicate the Israeli government with serious breaches of international humanitarian law, and if the UN adopts a resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire, the consensus must translate into on-ground action. Without urgent intervention not only will the loss of life continue, but so will the erosion of justice, identity and dignity.

Image: Wikipedia Commons