Top Hamas official says Israel waging war of starvation on Gazans

A senior Hamas official says the Israeli regime is waging a war of starvation on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, stressing that closure of crossings to the besieged territory has worsened the food crisis and the few aid convoys that enter the enclave cannot meet the public demands.

“The Zionist enemy has adopted the policy of starvation against children and ordinary people in Gaza. The food convoys that have entered Gaza meet only 10% of the public demands,” Osama Hamdan, a member of the Palestinian resistance movement's politburo, said at a press briefing in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on Saturday evening.

“Mass killing of people, starvation and bombardment of hospitals are all meant to drive our compatriots out of northern Gaza. International, Muslim and Arab institutions must fulfill their responsibilities as regards the stoppage of the invaders’ crimes. Silence and inaction will push the situation towards further chaos and disorder.”

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Hamdan said the Palestinian resistance factions have pledged not to back down from realization of their nation's ideals, the most significant of which are liberation of the occupied territories and full sovereignty over them.

“We will be a strong barrier against the plans of the invaders. Displacement will not be a matter of concern anymore, but rather liberation of our lands and return of people. We will deal a fatal blow to the invaders, and the entire world will soon hear the news of our victory,” the senior Hamas official noted.

He went on to point to the high number of casualties among Israeli military forces, stating that fighters from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades have inflicted heavy blows on enemy forces and their armored vehicles.

“The Zionist enemy is committing crimes against the people of Gaza round the clock. The enemy perpetrates crimes in areas that it claims to be safe. Some 43% of the victims used to be residents of the southern sector of the Gaza Strip. The occupiers do not differentiate between residents of the northern and southern parts of the territory,” Hamdan said.

He said the regime has attacked the most sacred job in the world by bombing hospitals.

“Murders and crimes in Gaza have affected people from all walks of life, including aid workers and medical staff. What happened in the Shifa Hospital falls within the framework of crimes being committed by the occupying enemy. The invaders took away the bodies of a number of martyrs from inside the hospital to an unknown location,” the Hamas official said.

Hundreds flee Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital on foot amid Israel’s ongoing attacks

Hundreds of patients have evacuated the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Strip, after Israel ordered people to leave the facility amid its ongoing attacks on hospitals and medical centers across the besieged enclave.

Hamdan said the Israeli military, by means of false allegations, has turned the Shifa Hospital into a military barracks.

“We hold the US administration responsible for the raid on the Shifa Hospital, and view it as a direct accomplice. If it were not for the sake of President Joe Biden, his administration and the silence of the international community, such crimes would have never happened in Gaza. Our combatants risked their lives to treat Israeli captives,” the Hamas official said.

Hamdan finally called for the continuation of pro-Palestinian demonstrations worldwide, and enforcement of economic sanctions against Israel.

Humanitarian agencies say since Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip on October 7, aid convoys have barely trickled through, meaning they can provide only a “drop in the ocean” of what the 2.3 million people in the territory need.

According to the advocacy group Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Israel has sharply escalated a “war of starvation” against civilians in the Gaza Strip as a tool of subjugation.

Before the Israeli war, 70 percent of the children in Gaza already suffered from varying health issues including malnutrition, anemia and weakened immunity. The figure has increased to more than 90 percent as a result of Israel’s bombardment, the Monitor said.

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