UNSC Backs Gaza Famine Declaration, US Stands Alone in Opposition
Fourteen council members issued a joint statement after Wednesday’s meeting, acknowledging the findings of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed body that last week confirmed famine in Gaza.
The statement expressed “deep concern about the presence of famine in Gaza Governorate” and warned that “approximately 41,000 children are at risk of death due to malnutrition in Gaza.”
Members stressed that famine must be stopped immediately, and said that “the use of starvation as a weapon of war is prohibited under international law.”
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The IPC’s confirmation comes as the war in Gaza, launched by the Israeli regime in October 2023, continues to devastate the territory. More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed, with thousands more dying from hunger and lack of aid.
The Israeli regime has sharply restricted food entry and imposed what it calls a “distribution mechanism,” forcing starving residents to gather at designated points where Israeli forces have fired on them.
The Security Council statement also condemned Israel’s decision to intensify military operations in parallel with the worsening humanitarian crisis, demanding “an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire.”
Council members described the crisis as a “man-made” catastrophe.
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Hamas issued a statement welcoming the Security Council’s position, stressing that the stance—taken without US participation—reflects “broad consensus in condemning the crime of genocide and the war of starvation waged by the Zionist enemy against more than two million besieged Palestinians.”
The group said the acknowledgment of famine highlighted the “catastrophic humanitarian situation created by the fascist occupation,” noting that children and civilians have been the main victims of deliberate starvation policies.
While praising the Security Council members’ recognition of the crisis, Hamas criticized Washington’s role in shielding Israel from accountability. “The continued American stance preventing the issuance of binding resolutions makes it a full partner in the crime, and responsible for the famine and massacres our people are subjected to,” the movement said.
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Hamas further urged the Security Council to move beyond statements and adopt concrete measures to stop “the brutal war of extermination” led by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and to hold Israeli leaders accountable for crimes against humanity.
Source: Agencies
