Borrell: Israel is causing starvation in Gaza, using starvation as a weapon of war

(Patria) - EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell said on Monday that Israel is causing starvation in Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war, while the Israeli Foreign Minister rejected the accusation.

- People in Gaza are no longer on the brink of starvation, but are starving, and thousands of people are affected, Borrell said at the opening of a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels.

- This is unacceptable. Starvation is being used as a weapon of war. Israel is causing starvation, Borrell specified.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in response, called on Borrell to "stop attacking Israel and recognize our right to self-defense against Hamas's crimes".

Katz said in a post on X that Israel has allowed "extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, air, and sea for anyone willing to help," but that aid has been "violently obstructed" by Hamas militants with the "collaboration" of UNRWA.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said that the Gaza Strip is facing starvation and that a ceasefire needs to be urgently declared.

- Gaza is facing starvation, and we cannot accept that, Von der Leyen told reporters in Cairo on Sunday after signing a strategic partnership agreement with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

- A swift ceasefire agreement that will release the hostages and allow more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza is critically needed now, she said.

'Child Malnutrition Spreading Rapidly'

The main UN agency operating in the Palestinian enclave, the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), warned that one in three children under the age of two in northern Gaza is acutely malnourished, and the population faces starvation.

- Child malnutrition is spreading rapidly and reaching unprecedented levels in Gaza, UNRWA announced on social media.

Hospitals in Gaza have announced that children are dying from malnutrition and dehydration.

The UN repeatedly warns that it faces "enormous obstacles" such as border closures, strict checks, movement restrictions, and unrest within Gaza.