Starvation in Gaza: why isn't enough aid getting through?
The EU is considering sanctions against Israel in view of the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, but Germany and Italy in particular are reportedly blocking such plans. US President Donald Trump has called on Israel to allow more food supplies into the sealed-off area. The media examines to what extent Israel and the West are responsible for the impending famine.
Those responsible must end the suffering
It's up to Israel to put a stop to the disaster that it has caused, emphasises the Cyprus Mail:
“The escalating starvation in Gaza, even Israel's allies say, is caused by the two-and-a-half-month total blockade of the strip, followed by the monopolising of aid distribution by the ineffective US-backed GHF. Needless to say, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) blamed food shortages in Gaza on distribution failure by the UN. On Tuesday, the IDF posted footage which it said showed Hamas 'violently looting humanitarian aid'. These are deflection tactics. Everyone knows Israel has caused the starvation in Gaza and only Israel can prevent a full-scale famine. The UN said the scale of aid needed to stave off famine and prevent a health crisis is vast. Whether Netanyahu will allow adequate humanitarian through is another matter.”
Serious consequences needed
Le Courrier calls for decisive action:
“When will serious measures finally be taken against Israel's policy? The UN once imposed an embargo on the apartheid regime in Pretoria. ... The war crimes in the former Yugoslavia led to arrest warrants against those in charge at the time. And when Gaddafi tyrannised civilians, the international community invoked its right to intervene against him. So rather than accepting the annexation of Gaza, why not draw up a plan to resettle its inhabitants – financed with confiscated Israeli funds, just as our diplomats are demanding be done with frozen Russian assets as a consequence of the destruction in Ukraine?”
Cautious Germany preventing action
The EU could be doing more in terms of sanctions, Aftonbladet stresses:
“In order to push through the first EU-wide sanctions against Israel, a qualified majority of at least 15 of the 27 member states representing at least 65 percent of the EU population is required. Because of its responsibility for the Holocaust, Germany is reluctant to criticise Israel. Since Germans make up almost one fifth of the EU population, it's practically impossible to achieve a qualified majority without them. ... Future generations will be ashamed of the world's inability to prevent the suffering in Gaza.”
Western elites looking the other way
The Guardian finds the West's inaction nothing short of scandalous:
“Israel's deliberate starvation of Gaza is, after all, a crime confessed to, designed and implemented in plain sight. ... What have we done? If Western elites had any shame, this question would be robbing them of sleep. And the answer would be straightforward. You facilitated the mass starvation of an entire people. You knew what was happening, because of a deluge of evidence for 21 months, and because the perpetrator - your friend - repeatedly boasted to the world about its crime. Alas, the architects of this abomination will not hold themselves to account. That will be left to history - and the courts.”
Israel not solely responsible
Author Viktor Shenderovich calls on Facebook for a less one-sided perspective:
“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is completely obvious. But it is downright despicable to pin the entire blame for this catastrophe on Israel without mentioning a word about man-made roots or Hamas as the political beneficiary of the disaster. And using the self-assured term 'genocide' instead of the phrase 'war crime' - that is also despicable. ... Either that or atrocious stupidity, at best. Based on these 'details' a monstrous anti-Israeli campaign is sweeping across the world - with already irreversible consequences, I fear.”
International impotence sets a dangerous precedent
La Vanguardia opinion leader Marta Ricart writes in discouragement:
“The Netanyahu government is doing as it pleases, backed by the US administration. It is taking advantage of the tolerance of many countries and also of the fact that Trump is a peacemaker who quickly tires of his duties. Macron's diplomatic gesture in announcing that France will recognise the Palestinian state has hardly put Netanyahu under pressure. It was difficult to get Keir Starmer to support him. And in view of the Israeli government's refusal to end the war, this all seems like an impotent gesture. ... The impotence of the international community is surprising and disheartening. It sets a dangerous precedent and further weakens the UN.”