Gaza: The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Al-Budaiwi, emphasized the urgent need to exert swift pressure on the Israeli occupation to open crossings for delivering aid to besieged Gaza. This call to action follows a significant declaration regarding the humanitarian crisis in the region.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Al-Budaiwi's remarks came in response to an official declaration by a United Nations review committee concerning the famine in Gaza. This marks the first instance in which the UN has declared a famine in the Middle East, highlighting the severity of the situation.
The famine assessment was carried out by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a coalition of monitors appointed by the UN to identify and warn about impending crises. For some time, UN agencies have been voicing concerns about the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, particularly as Israel intensifies its offensive and maintains its occupation of the territory.
Al-Budaiwi stated that the UN's declaration underscores the perilous and inhuman policy of starvation being enforced unlawfully by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians in Gaza. He reiterated the GCC's support for the Palestinian people and stressed the necessity to lift imposed sanctions, deliver much-needed aid, and ensure the protection of Palestinians in the region.