Ramallah: Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has launched an urgent appeal to end Israel's policy of starvation, urging the international community to take immediate action. He called on global powers to pressure Israel to allow United Nations agencies to fulfill their humanitarian mandate and deliver essential, life-saving aid to the Palestinian people. This appeal was made during a press conference in Ramallah, attended by representatives of United Nations agencies and international relief organizations.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Prime Minister Mustafa emphasized the dire situation in Gaza, marking it as the 654th day of Israel's ongoing conflict against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. He highlighted the systematic destruction of civilian life and infrastructure, which has decimated Gaza's health and education systems, and disrupted the social and cultural fabric of the Palestinian community. The Prime Minister noted that Israel's actions have forcibly displaced almost all of Gaza's population, effectively turning the Strip into a "death zone."
Prime Minister Mustafa presented alarming statistics, stating that around 59,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, with children and women comprising a significant portion of the casualties. He underscored the grim reality that an average of 28 Palestinian children are killed daily in Gaza, likening it to an entire classroom of students being lost every day. He further described Gaza as a "graveyard for children," where basic rights such as food, clean water, shelter, safety, and education are severely lacking.
The Prime Minister accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, evidenced by the killing of over 995 aid-seeking Palestinians and the injury of thousands more. He cited United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, who warned that "hunger must never be met with bullets." Mustafa stressed the urgent need for large-scale humanitarian access to prevent Gaza from descending into further chaos and mass loss of life.
Highlighting the interconnectedness of issues in the region, Mustafa also addressed the rise of settler terrorism in the West Bank, which has forcibly displaced thousands of Palestinians from over 70 communities. He argued that these actions are part of a broader policy rooted in occupation, impunity, racial domination, and the denial of Palestinians' right to self-determination.
The Prime Minister criticized Israel's withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, which he claimed undermines the ability to provide essential services in education, healthcare, and food security. He warned that the man-made famine imposed on Gaza is extending to the broader Palestinian population, threatening livelihoods and pushing communities toward starvation.
In his closing remarks, Prime Minister Mustafa called for immediate action, emphasizing that the international community must not remain complicit through silence or be distracted by geopolitical theatrics. He stated that the credibility of the international law-based order depends on its ability to uphold the law without exception and delay. He urged all to act now to stop the war against Palestinians in Gaza and lift the siege on the West Bank.