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Gulf Today
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Making food a political issue throttles Gaza lives
In a world where 757 million people face chronic hunger, and 45 million children suffer from wasting due to acute malnutrition, Gaza stands out as unique. War, drought, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are responsible for starvation in other places. Gaza is the only territory where a hostile foreign power illegally occupying Gaza is deliberately depriving the population of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies. Weaponising food is prohibited under international law. Last week the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held five days of hearings on how Israel is violating its international legal obligations as the illegal occupier of Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Envoys addressing the hearings focused on Israel's 60-day total blockade, the longest closure Gaza has faced so far. It is not known when and how aid deliveries will resume. Israel is, reportedly, trying to design a means of delivering food packages directly to Gazan's 2.3 million people. This would ensure Israeli control and exclude the involvement of international aid organisations. They are sharply critical of the two-month blockade and the resumption on March 18th of bombing and ground attacks in Gaza which have killed more than 2,300 and injured 6,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children. The ICJ hearings, mandated by the UN General Assembly, included submissions from 49 nations and organisations. Among the most telling interventions came from the director of legal affairs at Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry Mohamed Saud Alnasser. He stated, 'Less than a year ago, the court heard that Israel's policies and practices in the occupied territory, including its settlement practices, its continued occupation and its annexation of parts of that territory are flagrant violations of international law that must be brought to an end as a matter of urgency.' He added, 'Sadly, but predictably, Israel chose to ignore the court's ruling, showing it considered itself above the law'. He condemned Israel's 'hideous conduct' in Gaza where it has imposed 'siege conditions' since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, 2023. During the first two days of the hearings, speakers were highly critical of Israel's actions. On the third day, however, a US State Department legal adviser, Joshua Simmons, expressed disagreement by saying that Israel need not work with UNRWA, the UN agency which is the main provider and conduit for aid deliveries in Gaza. He said there is 'no legal requirement that an occupying power permit a third state or international organisation to conduct activity that would compromise its security interests.' Israel has banned cooperation with UNRWA as Israel claims 19 of UNRWA's 13,000 staff participated in Hamas' attack. International humanitarian agencies have castigated Israel and launched appeals for its friends to exert pressure to allow live saving aid to flow immediately. Britain and France have called upon Israel to lift the siege and blockade, and ceasefire and US President Donald Trump said on April 25th he had told Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into Gaza. Israel has replied that the blockade would continue until all 59 of the Israeli captives of Hamas are released. Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid, which both Hamas and aid agencies deny. Before the ongoing war, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said agriculture accounted for 'approximately 10 percent of Gaza's economy, with more than 560,000 people relying entirely or partially on cropping, herding, or fishing for their livelihoods.' The UN reports the war has devastated Gaza's farmland and grazing areas, and destroyed the fishing fleet, making Gazans totally dependent on supplies from outside the Strip and vulnerable to malnutrition. 'Not a drop of water, not a grain of wheat' has entered Gaza since March 2nd, UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma told the BBC. In an e-mail to Gulf Today she said that supplies entering during the ceasefire 'are running out quickly. It's been two months of a tight siege; Gaza is a place that is highly dependent on imports from outside. Every day, Gaza needs 500-600 trucks of supplies (commercial and humanitarian).' She called for an end to the blockade and aid to flow to 'match the unprecedented need.' International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Deputy Director of Operation Pascal Hundt said in a statement, 'Civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelmingly daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance.' He added, 'This situation must not — and cannot — be allowed to escalate further.' World Health Organisation (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the Gaza situation 'catastrophically bad. We are breaking the bodies and minds of the children of Gaza.' His deputy Michael Ryan told reporters, 'We are starving the children of Gaza. We are complicit.' He continued, 'As a physician I am angry. It is an current level of malnutrition is causing a collapse in immunity.' Ryan warned that cases of pneumonia and meningitis in women and children could increase. On April 25th, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered the last of its stocks of flour to bakeries and rice, lentils, tomato paste and tinned vegetables to kitchens which have prepared hot meals. WFP director Cindy McCain told US public radio, 'There's nothing left. There's no place to go for food anymore.' She added. 'Food is not political. And to make food political is something that is unconscionable, number one, but number two, it just shouldn't happen.' In its annual report released last month Amnesty International wrote, 'Israel's relentless military offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip intensified the long-standing humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's 18-year unlawful blockade of Gaza.' After Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, Israel besieged, blockaded, and waged war on Gaza in 2008-2009, 2012. 2014, 2021 and 2024-2025. These wars have not only killed Gazans and devastated the Strip but also deprived them of stability and a decent standard of life and diminished their physical and psychological resistance to trauma and deprivation. On February 8th this year, the British medical journal The Lancet published a study by Michel Guillot, Mohammed Draidi, José H C Monteiro Da Silva, and Ismail Lubbad who reported that life expectancy fell steeply during the first year of the war that began in October 2023. They found life expectancy fell by more than 30 years during the first 12 months of the war, nearly 'halving pre-war levels' of the mid-seventies for both men and women.
Leaders
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli Aggression at ICJ
Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned Israel's military aggression in the Gaza Strip. The ongoing conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis, with Israel blocking aid and bombarding civilian areas. Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Mohamed Saud Alnasser, highlighted Israel's violations of international law. He stressed that Israel's actions are unjustifiable and have turned Gaza into a pile of rubble. Israel's Violations of International Law Moreover, Ambassador Alnasser reaffirmed Israel's policies in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem are flagrant violations of international law. Israel has ignored the ICJ's rulings and continued its settlement practices and occupation. Alnasser emphasized the importance of the ICJ's opinion in obligating Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The situation is dire, with Israel's actions leading to inhumane conditions and the killing of UNRWA employees. Additionally, the ICJ has opened a week of hearings on Israel's humanitarian obligations towards Palestinians. This comes over 50 days after Israel imposed a comprehensive blockade on aid entering Gaza. The ICJ will hear statements from numerous countries and organizations as it prepares an advisory opinion on Israel's responsibilities. UN representatives have begun a five-day marathon hearing at the ICJ, with Israel controlling all international aid flows vital to the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza. Saudi Arabia's Call for Action Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has called for maximum pressure to ensure the continuous flow of aid into Gaza. The kingdom has condemned Israel's decision to cut electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia urged the international community to take action. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, has demanded the exercise of maximum pressure. This is to ensure the steady flow of aid into the war-battered Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia's strong condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza highlights the urgent need for international intervention. The ICJ's hearings provide an opportunity to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. This is to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. Short link :
Middle East Eye
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Saudi Arabian envoy asks ICJ to condemn Israel's 'hideous conduct' in Gaza
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday concluded its second day of hearings on Israel's humanitarian obligations in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The hearings coincide with Israel's total blockage of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has been ongoing for over 50 days, and the intensification of military attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians since the collapse of the ceasefire on 18 March. The five-day proceedings, which were prompted by a request from the UN General Assembly in December, include submissions from at least 40 nations and organisations on Israel's obligations concerning the presence and activities of the United Nations and other international organisations in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the role of third states. South African diplomat Zane Dangor kicked off the proceedings on Tuesday, telling the court that the 'world has failed the Palestinian people' and that Israel has been committing "persecution, apartheid and genocide" in Gaza under the world's 'watchful eye'. "While we watch, the gaze of Palestinians is directed squarely at the international community,' he warned. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Unrwa ban: Why the World Court is hearing another case against Israel Read More » He further condemned the "exceptionalism" enjoyed by Israel, "from accountability and to international law and norms'. 'Any country or entity which seeks to hold Israel accountable for its inhumane and unlawful actions is subject to countermeasures and sanctions from which the UN and this court has not been spared,' he said. Referring to Israel's outlawing of the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (Unrwa) in October 2024, which led Norway to lobby the General Assembly to request the case, he said that the agency is 'one of the latest casualties of Israel'. He added that Israeli attacks on Unrwa are intended to 'imperil the existence of Palestinians as a group' through the denial of Palestinian refugees' right of return. He concluded that the world must 'save whatever is left of our humanity by ending Israel's unlawful settler colonial occupation and its intentional starving of the Palestinian population'. 'Hideous conduct' Saudi Arabia's Mohamed Saud Alnasser, who is the director of legal affairs at the foreign ministry, condemned Israel's 'flagrant violations of international law' in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Gaza. 'Less than a year ago, the court heard that Israel's policies and practices in the occupied territory, including its settlement practices, its continued occupation and its annexation of parts of that territory are flagrant violations of international law that must be brought to an end as a matter of urgency,' he said. 'Sadly, but predictably, Israel chose to ignore the court's ruling, showing it considered itself above the law'. Turning to Israel's 'hideous conduct' in Gaza, Alnasser said its 'most ruthless application has been the siege conditions imposed over the Gaza Strip since October 2023'. Meanwhile, Belgian legal advisor Antoine Misonne reminded the court of Israel's obligation to cooperate with UN bodies, including Unrwa in the occupied Palestinian territories, as "Israel has no right to sovereignty over any part of the occupied Palestinian Territory and cannot exercise sovereign powers there by virtue of its occupation". Mohamed Saud Alnasser (right), Saudi Arabia's representative at the International Court of Justice, condemned Israel's 'flagrant violations of international law', on 29 April 2025 (Sondos Asem/MEE) In a subsequent submission, Colombian representative Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, vice-minister for multilateral affairs, said that Israel's actions have "put the Palestinian population in an impossible position" through the creation of a "dire humanitarian crisis" in Gaza and its blocking of aid to the Strip. "Israel has made the Palestinian population subject exclusively to its power and has impeded the work of relief agencies, which have been the only protection for the starving population," he said. He added that this conduct is "inconsistent with Israel's status as an occupying power", a breach of international and humanitarian law and its obligations as a UN member. Spanish ambassador to the Netherlands, Maria Consuelo Femenia Guardiola, told the court that the Knesset judgements against Unrwa, passed in October, "constitute an arbitrary withholding of consent to humanitarian organisations and in particular to Unrwa, to provide humanitarian assistance and therefore a breach of international humanitarian law applicable to all occupying powers". She added that Israel's prevention of the presence and activities of the UN in the occupied Palestinian territory is "a violation of both the norms of international human rights, both applicable to Israel and to the right of self-determination". The full text of the proceedings is now available on the court's website.
Saudi Gazette
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia at ICJ: Israel turns Gaza Strip into a pile of rubble
Saudi Gazette report THE HAGUE — Amid the ongoing Israeli military aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip and the blockade of humanitarian aid, Saudi Arabia renewed its strong condemnation of the Israeli atrocities and barbaric aggression on unarmed civilians. "Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into a pile of rubble," said Ambassador Mohamed Saud Alnasser, Saudi Arabia's representative to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in The Hague on Tuesday. In a statement delivered before the ICJ, Ambassador Alnasser reaffirmed that nothing can justify Israel's blatant violations of the international law in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem. 'Less than a year ago, the court heard that Israel's policies and practices in the occupied territory, including its settlement practices, its continued occupation and its annexation of parts of that territory are flagrant violations of international law that must be brought to an end as a matter of urgency,' said Alnasser. 'Sadly, but predictably, Israel chose to ignore the court's ruling, showing it considered itself above the law,' he said. Alnasser emphasized that Israel continues to ignore the court's orders and increase its violations, noting the importance of the ICJ's opinion in obligating Tel Aviv to allow the access of humanitarian aid. 'The obligations of Israel to allow the UN, other international organizations and third states to carry out activity in the occupied Palestinian territory – including providing such assistance – could truly make a difference between life and death for many people,' he said. 'Nothing justifies such barbarity,' he said referring specifically to the situation in the Gaza Strip. Israel's blockade of aid and continuous bombardment of civilian population are a means for 'bringing about the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip, displacing or killing the Palestinian population to make room for Israel to settle and annex the territory. Israel's hideous conduct, which piles illegality upon illegality, is well documented – its most ruthless application has been the siege conditions imposed over the Gaza Strip since October 2023.' Alnasser also noted that Israeli acts have led to inhumane conditions in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 200 UNRWA employees and attacking the agency's headquarters and warehouses. "Tel Aviv continues to ignore calls to allow aid into Gaza, and has attacked and looted UNRWA facilities and warehouses," he said while pointing out that the United Nations has refuted Israeli allegations questioning its neutrality. The Saudi representative's statement came as the ICJ opened a week of hearings on Israel's humanitarian obligations towards the Palestinians, more than 50 days after it imposed a comprehensive blockade on the entry of aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip. The ICJ is hearing statements from numerous countries and organizations as it prepares an advisory opinion on Israel's humanitarian responsibilities toward Palestinians. UN representatives began a five-day marathon hearing at the ICJ, the highest UN court in The Hague, Netherlands, on Monday morning before a panel of 15 judges. It is worthy to note that Israel controls all international aid flows, which are vital to the 2.2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is suffering from an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Israel cut off this aid on March 2, just days before a fragile ceasefire collapsed after 15 months of continuous fighting.
Arab News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia slams Israel's actions in Gaza at ICJ
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia condemned Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza at the International Court of Justice on Tuesday, accusing it of defying international rulings and committing severe human rights violations. Speaking before the court, the Kingdom's representative, Mohamed Saud Alnasser, said Israel 'continues to ignore the court's orders,' and insisted that 'there is no justification for Israel's violations in Gaza.' Alnasser added that 'Israel has turned Gaza into a pile of rubble,' highlighting the widespread devastation and suffering inflicted on civilians. His remarks came on the second day of the ICJ's hearings into Israel's humanitarian obligations toward Palestinians, held amid a total Israeli blockade on aid to the Gaza Strip that has lasted over 50 days. The hearings are a part of broader efforts to assess whether Israel has complied with international legal responsibilities in its conduct during the war on Gaza.
