CAIRO/UNITED NATIONS: As the UN General Assembly readied itself to vote on an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the two-month-old conflict between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, aid agencies reported that hunger was growing among Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip.
Since the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution urging a ceasefire on Friday, hundreds more civilians have perished in Israel’s assault on Gaza.
The majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been forced from their houses, and locals claim it is impossible to find food or safety in the crowded coastal enclave. According to the U.N. World Food Program, half of the world’s population is starving.
“Hunger stalks everyone,” UNRWA, the United Nations agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, declared on X.
Gazans described looting of relief trucks and exorbitant prices, adding that people who were forced to flee on a regular basis were dying from cold and hunger in addition to the bombardment.
Israeli tallies indicate that on October 7, Hamas militants carried out a cross-border attack on Israel that resulted in 1,200 deaths and 240 hostages. As part of its efforts to eradicate the group, Israel has issued orders for people to relocate. Since then, about 100 hostages have been set free.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that 18,205 people have died and nearly 50,000 have been injured as a result of Israel’s retaliatory attack.
On Tuesday, the 193-member General Assembly is expected to approve a draft resolution that closely resembles the text of the one that the US blocked last week in the 15-member Security Council.
Resolutions of the General Assembly reflect international opinions and have political weight but are not legally binding.
Read More: Second Phase of Gaza War could be difficult: Israel
More people will vote in favor of the vote, according to some diplomats and observers, than in favor of the assembly’s October call for “an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce.”
ANALYZATION OF US SUPPORT
The Security Council sent 12 envoys to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, the only location where some fuel and humanitarian aid have been allowed in. The vote was scheduled to take place the day after their visit.
There was no representative from the US traveling with them.
Using an emergency procedure, Washington sold roughly 14,000 tank shells to Israel without seeking congressional approval. On Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller informed reporters that Israel was not an exception to U.S. policy, which states that any nation receiving its weapons must adhere to the laws of war.
“We are monitoring everything that happens in this conflict,” Miller stated. “We are engaged in conversations with the Israeli government.”
Though American officials claim there are no plans to withhold or impose conditions on military aid to Israel, there has been increased scrutiny of how and where Israel uses U.S.-supplied weapons as the war has intensified.
Miller continued, “Washington found photos circulating on social media depicting Palestinian men imprisoned in Gaza in their underwear “deeply disturbing” and requested an explanation from Israel regarding the photos’ circumstances. According to Israel, the men were undressed to ensure that no weapons or explosives were concealed.
Additionally, the White House stated on Monday that it was looking for additional information regarding reports that Israel had attacked southern Lebanon in October using white phosphorus weapons supplied by the United States.
The munitions, which are among their authorized uses on battlefields as smoke screens, can result in severe burns.
Human Rights Watch claimed that Israel uses white phosphorus weapons in Gaza and Lebanon, but Israel refuted this claim as “unequivocally false”.
