The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has warned that Gaza is becoming the “graveyard of international humanitarian law”, as acute malnutrition among children has increased sixfold in recent months.
Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner general, told El País that the agency had been “warning about the signs of famine and sounding the alarm bells for months” but that warnings had “fallen on deaf ears”.
Through UNRWA health centres, officials have documented a dramatic surge in acutely malnourished children in Gaza City over the past six months.
Malnutrition in Gaza City children increases sixfold in six months
Lazzarini described the West Bank as experiencing “unprecedented levels of violence and forced displacement, which would surely be making today’s headlines if they hadn’t been overshadowed by the disaster in Gaza”.
“Gaza is becoming the graveyard of international humanitarian law. Everything has been so blatantly disregarded… Including the provision ruling of the international court of justice urging a significant increase in unimpeded assistance. That was in January 2024, and look where we are today”.
Impunity prevails, and there’s a growing sense in the region that international humanitarian law is not universal. Today, it’s difficult to teach Palestinians anything about human rights in schools.
The UNRWA chief warned that the erosion of international law in Gaza could set dangerous precedents for future conflicts worldwide.
European leaders call for stronger action against Israeli assault
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described Europe’s response to the war in Gaza as a “failure” in an interview with the Guardian, calling Israel’s assault on Palestinian territory one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century.
Sánchez – the first senior European leader to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza – said he was pleased that other European nations were following Spain’s lead in recognising a Palestinian state but accepted Europe’s response had been poor.
Belgium announced it will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly later this month, with Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot citing “the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and in response to the violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law”.
Tens of thousands of reservists in Israel will return to active service in the coming weeks amid an intense debate in their ranks over the war in Gaza, which reflects wider divisions in the country.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, following the Pope’s recent demands that Israel stop its “collective punishment” of Gaza’s population.
(information from The Guardian)
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