UN Experts Urge Emergency Session, End Israeli Occupation and Prevent Gaza Famine
Experts call for urgent international action before September 17 deadline amid ongoing genocide, mass starvation, and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - On Friday, United Nations experts called for an emergency session of the UN General Assembly, urging the international community to act swiftly before September 17 — the deadline to demand an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine amid ongoing genocide and man-made famine in Gaza.
They stressed that “silence and inaction are not options in the face of mass atrocities” and demanded that Israel immediately end its obstruction of safe, effective, and dignified humanitarian aid.
Beyond Lifting Restrictions: Ending the Siege
The experts underscored that lifting restrictions alone would not be enough to save Gaza’s devastated population.
They urged an immediate end to Israel’s siege and the declaration of a permanent ceasefire.
At this critical moment, they said, the General Assembly — as the UN’s highest body — must take decisive leadership to prevent another catastrophe. The entire population of Gaza, they warned, faces famine under siege as the occupation army advances toward Gaza City, crowded with over one million displaced Palestinians.
Confirmed Famine and Rising Death Toll
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has officially confirmed famine in Gaza, with the humanitarian emergency reaching “unbearable” dimensions.
According to the experts, 361 Palestinians have died from malnutrition, including 130 children — 13 of them, among them three children, in the past 24 hours alone.
“The horrors of death by starvation will escalate if Israel does not stop,” they warned, noting that half a million people in Gaza are already experiencing extreme hunger.
Weaponizing Hunger as a War Tactic
The experts accused Israel of deliberately engineering and perpetuating the famine in Gaza, calling it “an affront to humanity.”
They emphasized that under international humanitarian law, an occupying power is obligated to ensure the survival of the population under its control — something Israel has blatantly failed to do.
They condemned the deliberate obstruction of food, water, medicine, shelter, and other relief supplies, compounded by deadly attacks on civilians, aid distribution points, and repeated forced displacements. This, they said, has turned hunger into a weapon of war.
Over 2,000 Palestinians have been killed at aid distribution sites in recent months, 70% of them in areas run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, often through indiscriminate or targeted gunfire. Many others have been forcibly disappeared from these locations.
Failure of Existing Mechanisms
The experts concluded that existing aid mechanisms have failed disastrously and reliance on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation violates Article 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, amounting to international crimes.
They urged the General Assembly to invoke the “Uniting for Peace” framework under Resolution 377(V), recommending a peace process and immediate suspension of failed and dangerous aid mechanisms that have facilitated mass killings at distribution points.
Concrete Recommendations
The experts called for:
Opening all crossings for unrestricted humanitarian aid under direct UN supervision.
Deploying emergency humanitarian ships from Mediterranean ports.
Authorizing UN-led humanitarian convoys with full authority over all access points into Gaza.
A permanent and immediate ceasefire.
Release of Palestinian detainees and hostages.
They stressed that anything less would render the international community complicit in these grave violations. (PW)