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Global outcry over Israel’s policy of starvation in Gaza
Thousands of people took to the streets across the world on Friday, banging empty pots and pans to protest the ongoing hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip, which is the result of Israel’s months of blockade and systematic policy of starvation in the Palestinian territory.
In London, protesters gathered outside the prime minister's office where they left 1,000 pots to symbolize the more than 1,000 Palestinians who have been killed by Israel while seeking food.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), one of the organizers of the demonstration, wrote on X, ”1000 pots laid outside Downing St London for the more than 1000 Palestinians killed seeking food while being deliberately starved by Israel, the UK government's ally.”
The Health Ministry in Gaza said early Friday that nine more Palestinians died due to famine and malnutrition, bringing the number of starvation-related deaths to 122, including 83 children.
In New York, members of the Palestinian Youth Movement gathered outside the United Nations headquarters and then Times Square. They demanded an end to Israel's blockade of food and aid into the Gaza Strip.
Protesters also took to the streets of Paris denouncing the humanitarian blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza.
“First of all, we feel sad. We also feel angry because of [the] inaction of our government here in France. We feel angry because aid is being blocked while there is enough to feed the entire Gaza Strip. But in reality, food is expiring and even being poisoned, as the Israelis are blocking it,” a protester said.
“It's unacceptable that the law does nothing, but today, we can't rely on the law and the government anymore. We have to do it ourselves.”
Similar protests were also held in Iran, Lebanon and Somalia. According to the UN, famine threatens hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza, particularly children; heartbreaking images of malnutrition circulate every day.
On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on Islamic countries to take collective action in response to Israel’s escalating crimes and starvation campaign in Gaza.
Araghchi held separate phone talks with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Iraq’s Fuad Hussein, and Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Araghchi highlighted the dire impact of the siege on Gaza and the continued Israeli bombardment of civilian infrastructure and residential areas, calling for “the use of all international and regional capacities, especially within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and put an end to the Zionist regime’s crimes.”
The call comes as Gaza’s Government Media Office announced that at least 122 Palestinians have died from starvation since Israel’s military onslaught began in October 2023, most of them in recent weeks.