Breaking the blockade: What will it take to end starvation in Gaza?

The World Health Organization has warned that the entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death. “This is one of the world’s worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time” it said in May.

Israel’s weaponisation of aid, its attacks on aid workers, and its blockade have left humanitarian organisations largely powerless to assist. A new ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ backed by Israel and the United States has been condemned by the UN and major aid organisations, and has already lost its executive director, who resigned before it began operations, citing concerns over its independence.

Former Australian Human Rights Commissioner and Commissioner of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, Chris Sidoti, and Australian Human Rights Institute Associate and UNSW Scientia Associate Professor Jessica Whyte, will join us for a webinar to discuss the current situation on the ground in Gaza and their thoughts on a path forward.