World Elders Council, a group of prominent world leaders, confirmed that Israel is deliberately preventing aid from entering the Gaza Strip, warning that the Strip faces the risk of genocide as a result of the obstruction of humanitarian aid, which is exacerbating the famine crisis.
The group said in a statement on Wednesday that a delegation from the group visited the border crossings with Egypt and witnessed firsthand the deliberate prevention of life-saving aid from reaching the Strip, according to Quds Press.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark explained after visiting the Rafah crossing that “many mothers are unable to provide food for themselves or their newborns, in light of the collapse of the health system,” calling on Israel to open the crossing urgently.
The statement indicated that the delegation saw evidence of the prevention of food and medical aid from entering and heard testimonies of the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, while trying to obtain aid inside Gaza.
The London-based council, founded by former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2007, called for the recognition of the State of Palestine, an immediate suspension of arms transfers and their components to Israel, and the imposition of sanctions on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The statement emphasized that recognition of the State of Palestine “will not alone be sufficient to halt the impending genocide and famine” in the Gaza Strip.
