Gaza population on brink of famine, Israel militarizing aid: Arab-Islamic Committee - War on Gaza

Al-Ahram Weekly

21-05-2025

The Ministerial Committee assigned by the Extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza issued a joint statement late on Tuesday expressing its grave concern over Israel's continued blockade on humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and calling for the immediate and sustainable surge of lifesaving humanitarian aid at scale for Palestinians in need throughout Gaza.
The statement stressed that the deliberate denial of essential life-saving supplies and the weaponization of humanitarian aid have pushed the population to the brink of famine.
The Ministerial Committee emphasized that Israel's blockade constitutes a violation of the UN Charter and resolutions, treaties, and international humanitarian law and poses a serious threat to the security and stability of the region.
Global outcry
The committee welcomed the joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and the demands to end the war in Gaza and the immediate access of humanitarian aid to the strip, the statement read.
The statement shared the opposition expressed by the three leaders to the military operations and the continued full-fledged assault against the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza.
The committee demanded that Israel allow and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance without impediment from all land routes and crossings, along with utilizing air and sea aid delivery to address the catastrophic situation in Gaza.
The statement highlighted that there can be no justification for starving the Palestinian people in Gaza and depriving them of basic humanitarian aid and needs.
Militarization of humanitarian aid
The committee also expressed its concern over the Israeli intention to allow limited aid flow to the Gaza Strip and its endorsement of a new aid delivery model, which runs counter to humanitarian principles and international law.
The statement said the new aid model is designed to reinforce control over lifesaving and sustaining items as part of a military strategy, as UN agencies and humanitarian partners have underlined.
It added that humanitarian aid must never be politicized or militarized, rejecting and condemning Israel's plans to displace the Palestinian people and annexe Palestinian land forcibly.
The Ministerial Committee stressed that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have the capacity and operational systems to ensure aid is delivered directly to the Palestinian people throughout Gaza and that the most vulnerable are not left behind.
International community obligations
The Ministerial Committee demanded that the international community assume its moral and legal responsibilities and immediately intervene to put pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to lift the blockade, cease its aggression and violations, and comply with UN resolutions, international law, and international humanitarian law.
The statement called for ending the Israeli war on Gaza and for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in line with UN resolutions and the full implementation of the ceasefire-captives release agreement that went into effect on 19 January and as brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.
It added that implementing the agreement will pave the way for the early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza, the implementation of the Arab-Islamic Plan, and the convening of the Cairo Ministerial Conference on Reconstruction.
The committee also expressed deep concern over the Israeli military incursions in the occupied West Bank, as well as illegal practices such as settlement activities, home demolitions, and settler violence.
The statement said such actions undermine the rights of the Palestinian people, threaten the prospects for a just and lasting peace, and further entrench the conflict.
The committee recalled that Israel, as an occupying power, must protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law.
Additionally, the committee firmly rejected any attempts at annexation and unilateral illegal measures that seek to alter the legal and historical status quo of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.
Political horizon
The committee reaffirmed its full commitment to a political resolution to the conflict that ensures the fulfilment of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the independence of the State of Palestine, and the implementation of the two-state solution with Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security.
The statement highlighted relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, and the Arab Peace Initiative, as the framework paving for lasting peace and coexistence between all the region's peoples.
The committee stressed its commitment to convening a UN High-Level International Conference in June in New York, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, to advance these goals.
The joint committee was formed on 11 November 2023. Its members include the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine, as well as the Secretaries-General of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
In April, a joint press conference by Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi emphasised the need for a joint Arab diplomatic tour to urge the international community to take serious action to halt the aggression on the Gaza Strip.
During the press conference, Aboul-Gheit drew attention to the significance of the international conference on the recognition of the Palestinian state, which will take place in New York next June.
He said that the conference seeks to encourage more European countries to grant recognition and send a clear message to the United States that the international community's will is unmistakable, with 160 to 170 countries already recognizing the State of Palestine.
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