The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Abu Gheit, issued an urgent call to the member states of the Security Council to "work immediately to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza and to impose a humanitarian ceasefire to allow the entry of necessary supplies to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens," according to the Palestinian news agency "Wafa."
Abu Gheit stated in a statement: "Famine has become a looming possibility in Gaza, especially since 1.2 million people in Gaza were already suffering from food insecurity before the recent Israeli aggression, following a full 17 years of blockade, and all citizens do not know how they will obtain their next meal." He continued: "The continuation of fighting and Israeli attacks, including airstrikes and blockade, is exacerbating the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a horrific manner, to the extent that it can be described as actual genocide and ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians."
He explained that "the majority of citizens live on one liter of water for all purposes and sometimes drink from unsafe wells, and do not have access to drinking water, while the average consumption for a person is around 140 liters, after most desalination plants have been destroyed or have stopped operating due to lack of fuel."
Abu Gheit affirmed that "this situation creates a major health crisis and increases the likelihood of the spread of infectious diseases, worsened by the shutdown of several hospitals and health units, and the collapse of the health sector in Gaza after the fuel for generators ran out, as a result of being targeted by the Israeli occupation forces, which did not spare even ambulances from attacks in a blatant violation of the most basic laws of war."
He noted that "the number of trucks entering from the Rafah crossing is still far below what is required to prevent the humanitarian crisis," adding that "there are significant difficulties facing the distribution of relief materials and food even after they have entered the sector due to lack of fuel, and as a result of the ongoing Israeli bombardment that leaves no safe haven for the population in Gaza, whether in the north or south, which necessitates the imposition of a humanitarian ceasefire to save civilians amid the hell of battles and the looming threat of famine."
