Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
THE humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has worsened with the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Zimbabwe, Dr Tamer Almasri, accusing Israel of tightening restrictions on food supplies and plunging more than 2,4 million Palestinians deeper into hunger.
In a statement, Amb Almasri said the continued choking of flour supplies has sharply reduced bread production, worsening food insecurity across the enclave.
“The occupation is escalating its starvation engineering in the Gaza Strip by strangling flour supplies amid alarming international silence,” he said.
Amb Almasri said the food crisis was escalating as restrictions on the entry of essential goods, particularly flour, continued unabated.
He said humanitarian aid entering Gaza has not exceeded 38 percent of pre-war levels despite agreements providing for the daily entry of about 600 truckloads.
Recent humanitarian reports have also raised concern over the worsening conditions in Gaza, with medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières warning that aid obstruction continues to translate into preventable deaths.
Amb Almasri further alleged that several provisions under the humanitarian protocol have not been honoured, including the agreed number of aid trucks, medical supplies and heavy equipment needed for rubble clearance and recovery of bodies.
He said the occupation had also failed to allow in materials required for infrastructure maintenance, tents, mobile homes and shelter supplies for displaced civilians.
In addition, the Rafah crossing had remained closed contrary to the agreed terms.
He also condemned the killing of Palestinian journalist Mohammed Samir Washah and said the death had pushed the number of journalists killed since the start of the war to 263.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and call upon the International Federation of Journalists, the Federation of Arab Journalists and all journalistic bodies worldwide to condemn these crimes,” Amb Almasri said.
He said Palestinian authorities held Israel fully responsible and called on the international community to intervene.
“We demand that the international community and international organisations take action to stop the genocide, protect journalists and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes in international courts,” Ambassador Almasri said.
Meanwhile, Palestine’s Ministry of Health said hospitals in the Gaza territory have admitted four new bodies and 10 injured people in the past 24 hours.
According to the Ministry, since the ceasefire on October 11, a total of 754 Palestinians had been killed, while 2 100 others had been injured.
