A statement signed by 111 humanitarian organizations, including Caritas Internationalis, has denounced the Israeli government’s “siege” of Gaza, and urges governments to act to open all land crossings; restore the flow of food, water, medicine, shelter items, and fuel into Gaza “through a principled, UN-led mechanism”; end the siege; and agree to an immediate ceasefire.
The organizations note the almost daily “massacres” at food distribution sites in Gaza, citing UN confirmation that 875 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food, and thousands of others have been injured. It says more than two million Palestinians have been displaced with the latest Israeli displacement order and highlights the warning from the World Food Program that current conditions make operations “untenable.”
The statement goes on to declare bluntly: “The starvation of civilians is a war crime.”
Aid organizations say that in warehouses outside Gaza, and even within the territory itself, there are tons of supplies that could be used to assist civilians, but humanitarian agencies have been blocked from accessing or delivering them.
“The Government of Israel’s restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,” the statement reads, adding, “the UN-led humanitarian system has not failed, it has been prevented from functioning.”
Read more: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-07/aid-agencies-denounce-israeli-siege-of-gaza.html
By Christopher Wells | VaticanNews
