Israel announced it was barring the entry of commercial goods to Gaza on October 15. Israel also continues to block UNRWA access across occupied Palestine.
Restrictions on commercial entry must be considered in the broader context of the wider humanitarian consequences of prolonged deprivation and collective punishment under Israel’s apartheid, unlawful occupation, and nineteen-year siege and closure of Gaza, its systematic denial of so-called “dual use” goods into the Gaza Strip, and its blocking and conditioning of essential reconstruction materials on demands for Hamas “decommissioning”. Humanitarian consignments alone cannot substitute for the sustained flow of commercial goods necessary to support civilian life and functioning markets in Gaza….These reductions and restrictions must also be understood within the context of the continuing genocidal conditions imposed by Israel: the destruction of livelihoods, repeated displacement, inadequate shelter, limited access to clean water and sanitation, denial of fuel and reconstruction materials, and persistent barriers imposed by Israel to obtaining sufficient and nutritious food. The withdrawal or reduction of humanitarian aid has immediate and potentially life-threatening consequences for Palestinians. States and donors must urgently ensure that humanitarian agencies, like the WFP, UNRWA and World Central Kitchen can maintain and expand their operations in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme announced funding shortages that are forcing it to decrease its monthly food assistance from 1.6 million to 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.
As Al-Haq explains:
“The prohibition of starvation of civilians is absolute. Starvation with the intention to destroy a protected group amounts to genocide. The ICTY, ICTR and the ICJ have addressed the role of the denial and impeding of humanitarian aid and basic services as acts of genocide, stating that such conditions of life could encompass: ‘deprivation of food, medical care, shelter or clothing, as well as lack of hygiene’, ‘subjecting the group to a regime of subsistence . . . the reduction of essential medical services below minimum requirement . . . ‘, and generally ‘creat[ing] circumstances that would lead to a slow death.’”
Further, Al-Haq calls on Third States to take URGENT action, including to:
• Ensure the immediate, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid: Requiring the opening of crossings, the removal of all restrictions, and ensuring the entry and distribution of food, water, fuel, medicines, medical equipment, shelter materials and other essential supplies “at scale” into Gaza;
• Demand the entry of reconstruction materials, heavy machinery, engineering equipment, spare parts and other essential items needed to clear rubble safely, repair infrastructure, restore vital infrastructure. The entry of life-saving reconstruction materials, cannot be conditioned on political requirements of decommissioning;
• Apply military, economic and diplomatic sanctions on Israel. States must end all transfers of weapons, ammunition, military equipment to Israel to prevent genocide under international law and the Arms Trade Treaty;
• Ensure that recovery is rights-based and Palestinian-centred. Support a reconstruction process that safeguards Palestinian self-determination, facilitates the Palestinian right of return, restores essential services and livelihoods, and protects civilians against forced displacement, dispossession and discriminatory restrictions;
• Address the root causes of the genocide, by implementing the recommendations of the ICJ Palestine Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 to end Israel’s illegal presence in the OPT, and dismantling Israel’s discriminatory settler colonial apartheid regime on both sides of the Green Line.
