Chairman Of The House Of Representatives (DPR) Letters To The Secretary General Of The United Nations, Asks To Immediately Take Action To End The Humanitarian Crisis In Gaza

JAKARTA - House Speaker Puan Maharani sent an official letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres in New York, United States regarding the release and struggle of Palestine.

In a letter entitled 'Encouraging Call for urgent action to End the Humanitarian Disaster in the Gaza Strip' recently sent, Puan urged the United Nations to act immediately to end a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip

"On behalf of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, I am sending a letter, given the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, in which hundreds of thousands of families, especially children, face hunger from the sieges and ongoing mass bombings carried out by Israel, which has caused total destruction of life," said Puan in a letter received by journalists, Tuesday, August 12.

Puan then cited the latest reports from UN agencies, including WFP, UNICEF, and UN OCHA, which reveal critical levels of food vulnerability in Gaza, with categories included in Phase 5 (explanation). Where more than 1.1 million people fight with severe food insecurity, and about 500,000 children are affected by acute malnutrition, with several cases classified as 'very thin' groups, according to UNICEF reports.

Puan also mentioned the increasing death from hunger, especially in the northern Gaza Strip, where the babies died due to a lack of formula.

While more than 70 percent of agricultural land, markets, and food stores have been destroyed, access to staple foods and medical supplies have been severely restricted for months.

"What we are witnessing in Gaza today is no longer just a food crisis, but rather a hunger caused by a deliberate and systematic policy to target civilians by using hunger as weapons of war," he said.

According to Puan, the policy is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, for allowing civilians to hunger as a method of war.

"These actions can also be considered as serious violations of international law if they are carried out with the intention of destroying, completely or partially, a national, ethnic, or religious group by obstructing humanitarian aid and essential supplies, as well as creating living conditions aimed at destroying them physically," explained Puan.

Therefore, Puan encouraged the Secretary General of the United Nations as the voice of the international community to take concrete steps. First, by officially announcing the status of hunger in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC).

Second, Puan demanded the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency hearing to implement practical measures aimed at preventing hunger as a weapons of war and ensuring the distribution of humanitarian aid.

"Thirdly, if barriers to humanitarian aid continue, activate Chapter VII of the UN Charter, because this situation is a threat to international peace and security," said Puan.

Puan pun mendorong PBB untuk memastikan penyediaan akses kemanusiaan secara penuh, cepat, aman, dan tanpa hambatan di seluruh Gaza dengan membangun koridor kemanusiaan yang aman di bawah pengawasan Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa.

Fifth, Puan asked the United Nations to help mobilize immediate support for emergency humanitarian funds for Gaza by collaborating with Member States to ensure the provision of safe food, medicine, and drinking water for the Gazan people.

Puan also called for immediate recovery and facilitation of humanitarian aid through UNRWA and other United Nations agencies, as well as other neutral and impartial humanitarian organizations, to affected residents in Gaza.

"We cannot remain silent while these atrocities occur in front of us. The United Nations was founded not only to create a safe world, but also to protect helpless civilians from oppression," said Puan.

"We fully support your leadership morally and institutionally, and believe that the United Nations will act according to the urgency needed by this crisis," Puan concluded in her letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.