'Aid must be permitted to reach people in Gaza. There is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families,' says Barack Obama
Former US President Barack Obama called for swift action to prevent starvation in the Gaza Strip.
"While a lasting resolution to the crisis in Gaza must involve a return of all hostages and a cessation of Israel’s military operations, these articles underscore the immediate need for action to be taken to prevent the travesty of innocent people dying of preventable starvation," Obama said Sunday on X, linking to two New York Times articles.
"Aid must be permitted to reach people in Gaza. There is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families," he added.
Israel announced plans Sunday for localized temporary pauses in fighting to allow aid deliveries through designated safe corridors after scores of Palestinians died of starvation in the blockaded enclave.
Gaza’s hunger crisis has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe. Harrowing footage shows severely emaciated residents, some reduced to skin and bone, collapsing from exhaustion, dehydration and prolonged starvation.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2 has shut down all crossings, worsening humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued an offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
