All UN Security Council Members, Except the US, Confirm Gaza's Famine Is a "Man-Made Crisis"

Gazans queue for food. (Source: WHO)

JAKARTA - Members of the United Nations Security Council, excluding the United States, on Wednesday declared the famine in Gaza a "man-made crisis," warning that the use of starvation as a weapon of war is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

In a joint statement, the 14 council members called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantial surge in aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid deliveries.

"The famine in Gaza must end immediately," the council said, as reported by Reuters on August 28.

"Time is of the essence. The humanitarian emergency must be addressed without delay, and Israel must change course," the council stressed in the joint statement.

Last Friday, global hunger monitors declared Gaza City and its surrounding areas officially suffering from famine and that it is likely to spread.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system states that 514,000 people—nearly a quarter of the total Palestinian population in Gaza—are experiencing famine, and that number is expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.

Yesterday, Israel called on the global hunger monitor to retract its assessment. Israel dismissed the findings as incorrect and biased, saying the IPC based its survey on partial data provided largely by Hamas, which did not take into account recent food influxes.

Meanwhile, Acting US Ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, questioned the credibility and integrity of the IPC report at a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza on Wednesday, saying the report "does not meet either criterion."

"We all recognize that hunger is a real problem in Gaza and that there are significant humanitarian needs that must be met. Meeting those needs is a priority for the United States," she told the council.