Alice Jill Edwards, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, affirmed that the starvation of civilians in Gaza constitutes a deadly, inhumane, and degrading act that must come to an end immediately.

Edwards stated that depriving people in Gaza of food, water, and dignity is a grave violation of international law and must cease without delay. She emphasized the urgent need to ensure the safe, unconditional, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid into the besieged Strip.

Gaza is currently enduring one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in its history, as a brutal famine collides with a genocidal war waged by the Zionist enemy since October 7, 2023.

Despite repeated warnings from international, UN, and Palestinian bodies about the catastrophic impact of famine in Gaza, the Zionist entity has continued its complete closure of the Strip’s crossings to humanitarian, relief, and medical aid since March 2, escalating its policy of starvation that has been enforced since the beginning of the war.

As a result of the total blockade and denial of food and medicine, famine has spread across Gaza, with severe malnutrition symptoms now evident among children and the sick.

With full backing from the United States and European powers, the Zionist regime has carried out a campaign of genocide and total siege on Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 203,000 Palestinians killed or wounded—most of them children and women. In addition, more than 11,000 remain missing, and hundreds of thousands have been forcibly displaced.