Palestinian Foreign Ministry calls on Israel to open Gaza crossings to speed up aid entry

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday demanded the Israeli authorities to open all crossings with the Gaza Strip to accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the war-torn enclave.

In a statement, the ministry condemned the Israeli government's prevention of aid entry into Gaza, especially into the northern parts.

It added that the Israeli government seeks to perpetuate its plan of separating Gaza from the West Bank and to displace the Palestinians from Gaza by giving approvals to sea lanes while preventing land crossings for the entry of aid.

The Israeli government has yet to comment on the Palestinian statement.

On Feb. 22, the Gaza-based Government Media Office said a massive famine is unfolding in the Gaza Strip amid the deadly Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave.

"Famine is worsening day by day in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 2.4 million people live," it said in a statement, adding that more than 700,000 Palestinians are facing starvation in northern Gaza.

Israel has waged a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing more than 30,700 and injuring over 72,000 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.