'War crime': Swedish foreign minister warns Israel against 'starving civilians'
Israel's refusal to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza is causing civilians to starve which constitutes a war crime, Sweden's foreign minister said.
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In early June, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said deadly attacks on civilians around aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip constituted "a war crime", while several rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of genocide.
Israel has vehemently rejected that term.
"To use starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime. Life-saving humanitarian help must never be politicised or militarised," Maria Malmer Stenergard said at a press conference, adding that it was ultimately up to a court to decide whether Israel was committing war crimes.
"There are strong indications right now that Israel is not living up to its commitments under international humanitarian law," she said.
"It is crucial that food, water and medicine swiftly reach the civilian population, many of whom are women and children living under wholly inhumane conditions," she said.
Sweden announced in December 2024 it was halting funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA after Israel banned the organisation, accusing it of providing cover for Hamas militants.
Swedish International Development Minister Benjamin Dousa told Thursday's press conference that Stockholm was now channelling aid through other UN organisations, and was "the fifth-biggest donor in the world ... (and) the second-largest donor in the EU to the humanitarian aid response in Gaza".
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The country's humanitarian aid to Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023 currently amounts to more than 1 billion kronor ($105 million), while funding earmarked for Gaza for 2025 totals 800 million kronor, he said.
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