‘Starvation being used as war-arm’ in Gaza: EU foreign policy chief tells UN Security Council

By Merve Aydogan

TORONTO, Canada (AA) - The EU’s foreign policy chief warned Tuesday about the dire situation in the Gaza Strip and said starvation is being used as a weapon.

"There is a humanitarian crisis, which is not a natural disaster,” Josep Borrell said at a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting. “It is man-made. When we look for alternative ways of providing support by sea or by air, we have to remind that we have to do it because the natural way of providing support through road is being closed, artificially closed. Starvation is being used as a war arm."

Noting that the same level of condemnation should be applied to events in Gaza as to those in Ukraine, he said, "The United Nations agencies: OCHA, World Food Program, UNRWA are the last lifeline for many people" in Gaza.

Noting the allegations made by Israel against UNRWA, Borrell said: "But allegation has to be proved, that's why they are allegations. We await with interest the conclusion of the United Nations' in-depth investigation by OIOS, system audit to be conducted with European Union experts," referencing the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.

"But let me remind something, UNRWA only exists because there are Palestinian refugees. It is not a present to the Palestinians, it is an answer to the needs,” he said. “And we won't make these refugees disappear by making UNRWA disappear, they will still be there.”

Suggesting that the only way to make Palestinian refugees "disappear" is by making them "citizens of a Palestinian state that coexist with an Israeli state," Borrell said the two-state solution is not a "magic solution."

He urged that humanitarian aid be allowed to flow into Gaza immediately and stressed that aid via other means is not an alternative to truckloads through the road.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group, Hamas, in which less than 1,200 people were killed.

More than 31,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 72,700 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

At least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

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

Israel is 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.

- Sudan with 'largest internal displacement'

Regarding the ongoing crisis in Sudan, Borrell said, " The world's largest internal displacement crisis is taking place silently in Sudan."

"Eight million people displaced inside and outside the country. 20 million Sudanese, half of the population, is at risk of starvation," he warned and stressed the necessity of silencing the guns and ending hostilities without preconditions.

Sudan has been mired in fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

At least 13,900 people have been killed and more than 8 million displaced in the conflict that started last April, according to UN figures.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi Arabia and US mediators have failed to end the violence.

Last week, the UNSC adopted a draft resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The EU foreign policy chief commented on the cooperation between the UN and EU and said it reflects well in numbers.

"The European Union and its member states, finance almost 1/3 of the United Nations' regular budget. We collectively finance one-quarter of all United Nations programs. We pay and we pay on time. We are the largest financial contribution to the United Nations," he added.