‘Utterly callous’: Oxfam blasts UN Security Council's failure to call for Gaza cease-fire

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - After weeks of gridlock, the UN Security Council finally produced a resolution in mid-December demanding unhindered access for relief efforts to the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza as the death toll from Israeli attacks surged past 20,000.

But in what would unleash a deluge of criticism from humanitarian, human rights, and Palestinian groups, the council crucially failed to call for a cease-fire, a clause that was present in the draft of the resolution but was removed in days of deliberations that delayed its final passage.

Oxfam was one of those groups that condemned the watered-down resolution, warning that it endangered over 2 million Palestinians “many of whom are now starving as a risk of famine looms.”

“The failure to call for a cease-fire after five days of deliberate delays and dilutions of the resolution is incomprehensible and utterly callous. It is a profound dereliction of duty from an organization established to uphold the UN Charter to maintain peace and protect lives,” said Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

An immediate and permanent cease-fire is the only way to deliver humanitarian aid at the necessary scale and speed to end “the horrendous loss of life” and to “ensure the safe return of hostages,” she said, referring to the dozens of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

In the subsequent onslaught that the Israeli military launched on Gaza, at least 21,110 people have been killed, out of which roughly 70% are women and children. This death toll, which is according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, means that one out of every 105 people in Gaza have perished since Oct. 7.

As Tel Aviv continues its war, Oxfam and many other human rights organizations have also accused the US of being “complicit” in the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding.

If the US is not calling for a permanent cease-fire to end this “onslaught on children,” according to Bushra Khalidi, an Oxfam spokesperson and policy lead, this means it accepts “the indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent children.”

“And therefore, yes, you would be complicit,” she said in an interview with Anadolu.

Oxfam argues that the US' removal of calls to suspend hostilities shows just how “out of touch its policies are with the urgency and terror that Palestinians are experiencing.”

The UN Security Council vote on the resolution sponsored by the United Arab Emirates had initially called for an “urgent suspension of hostilities” to allow humanitarian relief to enter Gaza. But this was taken out and replaced with an appeal for “urgent steps to immediately allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access,” and for “creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”

“This is an insult to international law and bodies that have been designed to protect civilians in conflict,” Khalidi said of Washington’s actions in the Security Council, which Oxfam has said demonstrate the “increased isolation from the global consensus.”

- Starvation as a weapon of war

While Khalidi welcomed the increase of relief materials, as well as the opening of the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southeastern Gaza, the appointment of an independent humanitarian coordinator for the enclave, and mechanisms for aid, since the resolution, she said this is simply not enough.

The situation in Gaza is not a humanitarian issue, but a political one, she explained, adding that a humanitarian solution could not resolve a political problem.

“That’s not how it works. It’s a political solution for a political problem, accompanied by humanitarian solutions. And that’s not a track that world leaders are taking.

“They're almost using humanitarian aid to give Gaza’s population crumbs and a few bottles of water,” she said, adding that what Gaza needs is “for the bombs to stop.”

Oxfam has also warned that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinian civilians, pointing out that just 2% of food “that would have been delivered” has entered Gaza since a total siege that tightened the existing blockade on Gaza was imposed on Oct. 9.

Since then, Israel decided to tighten the siege even further and stop aid coming into Gaza, while also switching off water and power.

Israel’s military campaign has seen the bombardment of Gaza’s bakeries, supermarkets, solar panels, water tanks, and the entire health sector.

Water treatment stations used for crop cultivation have also been targeted and demolished throughout the offensive.

“They're not letting aid in, they're not switching back electricity and water and they’re targeting essential civilian infrastructure to be able to make food, which now means that we have our colleagues making food on wood fires in Gaza,” said Khalidi.

“All of this points to using starvation as a weapon of war,” she added, emphasizing that Tel Aviv’s actions have taken Gaza “back to the Stone Age.”

While 70% of people in Gaza were dependent on aid before Oct. 7, the vast majority had a roof over their heads and food on the table

In two months, however, relentless bombing by Israel has leveled swathes of the overcrowded territory, leaving nearly the entire population homeless and hard-pressed to find food.

- Settlers ‘armed to the teeth’

Besides the thousands killed in Gaza, this year has also been the bloodiest yet for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where over 300 have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers since Oct. 7 alone, while more than 10,000 have been arrested, many of which remain detained.

Khalidi, who lives in Ramallah, a Palestinian city under Israeli military occupation, says she is unable to go to her office in Jerusalem as doing so would involve spending four to five hours waiting at checkpoints.

Over 800 Israeli checkpoints dot the West Bank, blocking entry and exit for Palestinians trying to travel from one town or village to another.

On Oct. 7, Tel Aviv decided to cancel all work permits for about 200,000 Palestinian workers who worked in Israel.

This has impacted a huge part of the Palestinian economy as recurring settler attacks have left many frightened to go to their olive groves and gather this year’s harvest.

“We’re being collectively punished here. demolitions are on the rise. Forcible expulsions here also happen,” Khalidi said.

“We live in the scariest times that we’ve ever lived in. We’re afraid of leaving our homes. We’re afraid of driving on roads because we’re scared that settlers will attack us or kill us.

“I fear the worst, really. It just needs to stop now,” she said.

Israeli settlers, “armed to the teeth” in the West Bank and enjoying total impunity under the military’s protection, have been attacking, harassing, and even killing Palestinians, said Khalidi.

- ‘It’s apocalyptic’

Khalidi urged the world to stop Israel’s indiscriminate actions against the Palestinians, warning that if Tel Aviv is allowed to continue its military campaign for another few weeks, half of Gaza would be at risk of famine.

“It’s apocalyptic. We’ve never seen this,” she said, adding: “We’ve never seen an epidemic looming, famine and death by different diseases, looming over Gaza.”

According to Khalidi, there may be more deaths on the horizon for Gaza from disease rather than bombs.

“It’s absolutely disheartening as a Palestinian to see this. And I have family there as well.”

Israel has essentially made Gaza uninhabitable, she said, underlining that while doing so, it has violated many international humanitarian laws, amounting to “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

According to recent reports in the US, more than 70% of Americans aged 18-35 agree that there should be a cease-fire in Gaza. Despite this, Washington has blocked multiple UN Security Council resolutions demanding a truce.

Khalidi also emphasized the need to abide by international law, designed to protect people and prevent atrocities from happening.

International bodies like the UN were designed to prevent war crimes, she said, emphasizing that it is the responsibility of world leaders to fulfill international law and to call for a cease-fire to protect civilians.

Any country that refuses to call for a cease-fire “is complicit in what is happening in Gaza,” said Khalidi.

According to her, world leaders should not only be calling for a cease-fire, but also for justice, accountability, and a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

She said: “We are tired of living through these cycles of violence. We are exhausted, and we want it to end.

“Palestinians simply want to live in peace and dignity and have equal rights, like anybody else.”