The United Nations agency for Palestine refugees has warned that Gaza is becoming the “graveyard” of humanitarian law as Israel mobilizes thousands of reservists in preparation for its planned conquest of Gaza City.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, said in an interview with Spanish media outlet El Pais that Gaza “is becoming the graveyard of international humanitarian law”, after months of sounding the alarm over a man-made famine fell on deaf ears.
In a post on X on Monday, Lazzarini lamented that Gaza’s education system is in ruins, affecting around 660,000 children. He called for a ceasefire to “reverse the famine and the scholasticide hitting the children of Gaza”.
Echoing a similar frustration was Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who called the European Union’s response to the atrocities in Gaza “a failure” in an interview with The Guardian.
Ignoring international pleas and institutions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that his country is entering “the decisive stage” in its fighting in Gaza.
Military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said they “will not stop the war until we defeat this enemy” — referring to Palestinian militant group Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli government has been facing growing domestic opposition over its handling of the offensive.
Sanchez said the West’s double standards on Gaza and Ukraine threaten to undermine its global standing. The divisions within the EU over how to influence Israel are “not acceptable if we want to increase our credibility when it comes to other crises”, he added.
In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman reiterated his country’s position, calling for an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza and the need to achieve a just, secure and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The prince also condemned any measures that undermine the two-state solution.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said at the 20th Bled Strategic Forum on Tuesday there is no partner for peace in the Israeli government right now, adding his country remains committed to international law despite its violation by Israel, WAFA news agency reported.
Aid-seekers killed
Meanwhile, three more aid-seekers were killed near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site in Rafah, with Israeli attacks also wounding other Palestinians seeking aid, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday. In addition, five people were wounded in a strike targeting an area west of Nuseirat in central Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s health authorities reported on Wednesday that six people, including a child, had died of “famine and malnutrition” in the past 24 hours.
Abdalfatah Asqool, a former international law lecturer at the University of Palestine in the Gaza Strip, told China Daily the priority now is to recognize the State of Palestine.
“If the world does not stop the radical government of Israel under the leadership of Netanyahu, there will be no Palestinians and no lands to establish the Palestinian state,” he said.
“Consequently, there must be practical steps to stop the Israeli operation and put an end to the Palestinians’ suffering, or international law will be losing its credibility.”
The steps, he added, must include the halting of military supplies to Israel and pressuring the United States to do so.
