In one of the sharpest condemnations of Israel's actions by a European official, European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera said that the situation in the Gaza Strip "looks a lot like" genocide, Politico reported, BTA reports.
“What we see is a specific population that is being attacked, killed and left to die of hunger. They are confined, homeless, without access to food, water and medicine. People are being bombed even when they are trying to get humanitarian aid. There is a lack of any humanity and witnesses are not allowed“, Ribera commented.
She added: “If this is not genocide, It is very similar to the definition used to describe it.“
The European Commission as an institution has not officially used the term “genocide“, noted Politico. Israeli authorities did not respond to a request for comment. Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of genocide, emphasizing that its actions are directed against the “Hamas“ group, which Tel Aviv says has been using the civilian population as “human shields“ after the attack on October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), a record number of cases of acute malnutrition were registered among children in Gaza in July.
“Nearly 12,000 children under the age of 5 have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. The highest number on a monthly basis ever recorded,“ WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva.
The WHO also confirmed at least 99 deaths due to malnutrition. Among them 64 adults and 35 children, including 29 under the age of five.
“The total amount of food supplies remains completely insufficient to prevent further deterioration. The market needs to be flooded. There needs to be a diversity of diets“, warned Rick Peppercorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, via video link.
At the same time, the European Union reports that despite the increase in the number of trucks with humanitarian aid, deliveries remain below the levels agreed under an agreement between the EU and Israel last month.
A document from the EU's Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs Service, cited by Reuters, indicates that 463 trucks were unloaded at border crossings in Gaza between July 29 and August 4. A number that, according to international organizations, is grossly insufficient to deal with the humanitarian catastrophe.