Showing posts with label Gaza Strip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaza Strip. Show all posts

Saturday, 24 January 2026

Board Of Peace™. Registered 22.01.26, no fixed address. Donald J. Trump, sole trader.

 




IMAGE: The Guardian, 23 January 2026


At a side event to the January 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland the US Trump Administration 'birthed' its new organisation which allegedly "seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict" and which apparently intends to sideline what its creators see as a less "nimble and effective international peace-building body" which happens to have stood the test of time for the last eighty years.


The Board of Peace foundational charter, as published, raises a suspicion that it was drafted with more than passing reference to model rules for exclusive & expensive sporting clubs. While its Chair and the composition of the Executive Board all but guarantee it will be under the coercive control of Donald J. Trump.


Chairman of the Board of Peace as of 22 January 2026:


  • Donald J. Trump


Seven Members of the Executive Board of the Board Of Peace as of 22 January 2026:


  • Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State

  • Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East

  • Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law

  • Sir Tony Blair, former U.K. prime minister

  • Marc Rowan, CEO, Apollo

  • Ajay Banga, World Bank president

  • Robert Gabriel, security advisor


Nineteen Ordinary Members of Board Of Peace as of 22 January 2026:


  • Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, minister of the prime minister’s court, Bahrain

  • Nasser Bourita, minister of foreign affairs, Morocco

  • Javier Milei, president, Argentina

  • Nikol Pashinyan, prime minister, Armenia

  • Ilham Aliyev, President, Azerbaijan

  • Rosen Zhelyazkov, prime minister, Bulgaria

  • Viktor Orban, prime minister, Hungary

  • Prabowo Subianto, president, Indonesia

  • Ayman Al Safadi, minister of foreign affairs, Jordan

  • Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president, Kazakhstan

  • Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, president, Kosovo

  • Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, prime minister, Pakistan

  • Santiago Peña, president, Paraguay

  • Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, president, Qatar

  • Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, minister of foreign affairs, Saudi Arabia

  • Hakan Fidan, minister of foreign affairs, Turkey

  • Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, special envoy to the U.S. for the UAE

  • Shavkat Mirziyoyev, president, Uzbekistan

  • Gombojavyn Zandanshatar, prime minister, Mongolia


US President Trump also extended invitations to twenty-seven other countries to join his Board of Peace:

  • Australia

  • Austria

  • Brazil

  • China

  • Croatia

  • Cyprus

  • Finland

  • Germany

  • Greece

  • India

  • Ireland

  • Italy

  • Japan

  • Netherlands

  • New Zealand

  • Oman

  • Poland

  • Portugal

  • Republic of Korea

  • Romania

  • Russian Federation

  • Singapore

  • Spain

  • Switzerland

  • Thailand

  • Ukraine

  • United Kingdom


The United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, Norway, Cyprus, China, Russia, and Israel were among nations absent from the signing and, although a handful of countries are expected to join the Board at a later date, there are also other nations which have specifically rejected or are reluctant to accept Trump's invitation.


It is reported that the State of Israel expects to be appointed to the Executive at some time in the future.


Twenty-seven signatures on 22 January 2026 doesn't suggest red-hot international enthusiasm.


CHARTER OF BOARD OF PEACE as of 22 January 2026:


CHARTER OF THE BOARD OF PEACE


PREAMBLE


Declaring that durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed;


Recognizing that lasting peace takes root when people are empowered to take ownership and responsibility over their future;


Affirming that only sustained, results-oriented partnership, grounded in shared burdens and commitments, can secure peace in places where it has for too long proven elusive;


Lamenting that too many approaches to peace-building foster perpetual dependency, and institutionalize crisis rather than leading people beyond it;


Emphasizing the need for a more nimble and effective international peace-building body; and


Resolving to assemble a coalition of willing States committed to practical cooperation and effective action,


Judgment guided and justice honored, the Parties hereby adopt the Charter for the Board of Peace.


Article 1: Mission


CHAPTER I-PURPOSES AND FUNCTIONS


The Board of Peace is an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict. The Board of Peace shall undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law and as may be approved in accordance with this Charter, including the development and dissemination of best practices capable of being applied by all nations and communities seeking peace.


CHAPTER II

MEMBERSHIP

Article 2.1: Member States
Membership in the Board of Peace is limited to States invited to participate by the Chairman, and commences upon notification that the State has consented to be bound by this Charter, in accordance with Chapter XI.

Article 2.2: Member State Responsibilities

(a) Each Member State shall be represented on the Board of Peace by its Head of State or Government.

(b) Each Member State shall support and assist with Board of Peace operations consistent with their respective domestic legal authorities. Nothing in this Charter shall be construed to give the Board of Peace jurisdiction within the territory of Member States, or require Member States to participate in a particular peace-building mission, without their consent.

Article 2.2: Member State Responsibilities

(a) Each Member State shall be represented on the Board of Peace by its Head of State or Government.

(b) Each Member State shall support and assist with Board of Peace operations consistent with their respective domestic legal authorities. Nothing in this Charter shall be construed to give the Board of Peace jurisdiction within the territory of Member States, or require Member States to participate in a particular peace-building mission, without their consent.

(c) Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.

Article 2.3: Termination of Membership

Membership shall terminate upon the earlier of: (i) expiration of a three-year term, subject to Article 2.2(c) and renewal by the Chairman; (ii) withdrawal, consistent with Article 2.4; (iii) a removal decision by the Chairman, subject to a veto by a two-thirds majority of Member States: or (iv) dissolution of the Board of Peace pursuant to Chapter X. A Member State whose membership terminates shall also cease to be a Party to the Charter, but such State may be invited again to become a Member State, in accordance with Article 2.1.

Article 2.4: Withdrawal

Any Member State may withdraw from the Board of Peace with immediate effect by providing written notice to the Chairman.


CHAPTER III-GOVERNANCE

Article 3.1: The Board of Peace

(a) The Board of Peace consists of its Member States.

(b) The Board of Peace shall vote on all proposals on its agenda, including with respect to the annual budgets, the establishment of subsidiary entities, the appointment of senior executive officers, and major policy determinations, such as the approval of international agreements and the pursuit of new peace-building initiatives.

(c) The Board of Peace shall convene voting meetings at least annually and at such additional times and locations as the Chairman deems appropriate. The agenda at such meetings shall be set by the Executive Board, subject to notice and comment by Member States and approval by the Chairman.

(d) Each Member State shall have one vote on the Board of Peace.

(e) Decisions shall be made by a majority of the Member States present and voting, subject to the approval of the Chairman, who may also cast a vote in his capacity as Chairman in the event of a tie.

(f) The Board of Peace shall also hold regular non-voting meetings with its Executive Board at which Member States may submit recommendations and guidance with respect to the Executive Board’s activities, and at which the Executive Board shall report to the Board of Peace on the Executive Board’s operations and decisions. Such meetings shall be convened on at least a quarterly basis, with the time and place of said meetings determined by the Chief Executive of the Executive Board.

(g) Member States may elect to be represented by an alternate high-ranking official at all meetings, subject to approval by the Chairman.

(h) The Chairman may issue invitations to relevant regional economic integration organizations to participate in the proceedings of the Board of Peace under such terms and conditions as he deems appropriate.


Article 3.2: Chairman

(a) Donald J. Trump shall serve as inaugural Chairman of the Board of Peace, and he shall separately serve as inaugural representative of the United States of America, subject only to the provisions of Chapter III.

(b) The Chairman shall have exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfill the Board of Peace’s mission.


Article 3.3: Succession and Replacement


The Chairman shall at all times designate a successor for the role of Chairman. Replacement of the Chairman may occur only following voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity, as determined by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board, at which time the Chairman’s designated successor shall immediately assume the position of the Chairman and all associated duties and authorities of the Chairman.


Article 3.4: Subcommittees


The Chairman may establish subcommittees as necessary or appropriate and shall set the mandate, structure, and governance rules for each such subcommittee.


CHAPTER IV-EXECUTIVE BOARD

Article 4.1: Executive Board Composition and Representation

(a) The Executive Board shall be selected by the Chairman and consist of leaders of global stature.

(b) Members of the Executive Board shall serve two-year terms, subject to removal by the Chairman and renewable at his discretion.

(c) The Executive Board shall be led by a Chief Executive nominated by the Chairman and confirmed by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

(d) The Chief Executive shall convene the Executive Board every two weeks for the first three months following its establishment and on a monthly basis thereafter, with additional meetings convened as the Chief Executive deems appropriate.

(e) Decisions of the Executive Board shall be made by a majority of its members present and voting, including the Chief Executive. Such decisions shall go into effect immediately, subject to veto by the Chairman at any time thereafter.

(f) The Executive Board shall determine its own rules of procedure.


Article 4.2: Executive Board Mandate

The Executive Board shall:

(a) Exercise powers necessary and appropriate to implement the Board of Peace’s mission, consistent with this Charter;

(b) Report to the Board of Peace on its activities and decisions on a quarterly basis, consistent with Article 3.1(f), and at additional times as the Chairman may determine.

Article 5.1: Expenses

CHAPTER V-FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

Funding for the expenses of the Board of Peace shall be through voluntary funding from Member States, other States, organizations, or other sources.

Article 5.2: Accounts

The Board of Peace may authorize the establishment of accounts as necessary to carry out its mission. The Executive Board shall authorize the institution of controls and oversight mechanisms with respect to budgets, financial accounts, and disbursements, as necessary or appropriate to ensure their integrity.


CHAPTER VI LEGAL STATUS

Article 6

(a) The Board of Peace and its subsidiary entities possess international legal personality. They shall have such legal capacity as may be necessary to the pursuit of their mission (including, but not limited to, the capacity to enter into contracts, acquire and dispose of immovable and movable property, institute legal proceedings, open bank accounts, receive and disburse private and public funds, and employ staff).

(b) The Board of Peace shall ensure the provision of such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the exercise of the functions of the Board of Peace and its subsidiary entities and personnel, to be established in agreements with the States in which the Board of Peace and its subsidiary entities operate or through such other measures as may be taken by those States consistent with their domestic legal requirements. The Board may delegate authority to negotiate and conclude such agreements or arrangements to designated officials within the Board of Peace and/or its subsidiary entities.


Article 7

CHAPTER VII-INTERPRETATION AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Internal disputes between and among Board of Peace Members, entities, and personnel with respect to matters related to the Board of Peace should be resolved through amicable collaboration, consistent with the organizational authorities established by the Charter, and for such purposes, the Chairman is the final authority regarding the meaning, interpretation, and application of this Charter.


CHAPTER VIII-CHARTER AMENDMENTS

Article 8

Amendments to the Charter may be proposed by the Executive Board or at least one-third of the Member States of the Board of Peace acting together. Proposed amendments shall be circulated to all Member States at least thirty (30) days before being voted on. Such amendments shall be adopted upon approval by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Peace and confirmation by the Chairman. Amendments to Chapters II, III, IV, V, VIII, and X require unanimous approval of the Board of Peace and confirmation by the Chairman. Upon satisfaction of the relevant requirements, amendments shall enter into force on such date as specified in the amendment resolution or immediately if no date is specified.


Article 9

CHAPTER IX-RESOLUTIONS OR OTHER DIRECTIVES

The Chairman, acting on behalf of the Board of Peace, is authorized to adopt resolutions or other directives, consistent with this Charter, to implement the Board of Peace’s mission.


CHAPTER X-DURATION, DISSOLUTION AND TRANSITION

Article 10.1: Duration

The Board of Peace continues until dissolved in accordance with this Chapter, at which time this Charter will also terminate.

Article 10.2: Conditions for Dissolution

The Board of Peace shall dissolve at such time as the Chairman considers necessary or appropriate, or at the end of every odd-numbered calendar year, unless renewed by the Chairman no later than November 21 of such odd-numbered calendar year. The Executive Board shall provide for the rules and procedures with respect to the settling of all assets, liabilities, and obligations upon dissolution.


CHAPTER XI-ENTRY INTO FORCE

Article 11.1: Entry into Force and Provisional Application

(a) This Charter shall enter into force upon expression of consent to be bound by three States. (b) States required to ratify, accept, or approve this Charter through domestic procedures agree to provisionally apply the terms of this Charter, unless such States have informed the Chairman at the time of their signature that they are unable to do so. Such States that do not provisionally apply this Charter may participate as Non-Voting Members in Board of Peace proceedings pending ratification, acceptance, or approval of the Charter consistent with their domestic legal requirements, subject to approval by the Chairman.

Article 11.2: Depositary

The original text of this Charter, and any amendment thereto shall be deposited with the United States of America, which is hereby designated as the Depositary of this Charter. The Depositary shall promptly provide a certified copy of the original text of this Charter, and any amendment or additional protocols thereto, to all signatories to this Charter.


CHAPTER XII RESERVATIONS

Article 12

No reservations may be made to this Charter.


CHAPTER XIII-GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 13.1: Official Language

The official language of the Board of Peace shall be English

Article 13.2: Headquarters

The Board of Peace and its subsidiary entities may, in accordance with the Charter, establish a headquarters and field offices. The Board of Peace will negotiate a headquarters agreement and agreements governing field offices with the host State or States, as necessary.

Article 13.3: Seal

The Board of Peace will have an official seal, which shall be approved by the Chairman.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized, have signed this Charter.

* my yellow bolding used in this post

[See https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-charter-of-trumps-board-of-peace/]



Note: There is no mention of the Gaza Strip or the Palestinian people in this Charter, nor mention of the recently announced National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) or how this Palestinian body would interact with the Chair, Executive or Membership of the Board of Peace.


The wording of this Charter appears to suggest that the Board is to be funded by Ordinary Members. While at least five of those current representatives for ordinary member countries listed at the end of the charter document as of 22 January 2026 may not be guaranteed entry the United States of America, as their named countries can also be found on the full list of nations whose citizens are banned or partially restricted from entry into the USA or its territories. 


Tuesday, 20 August 2024

While I was away..... *WARNING: Contains Graphic Image*

 

A brief look at some items of note during the last ten days.

 

 

 

 

On 14 August 2024 the State of Israel's War on Gaza entered its 313th day and, the Palestinian population has suffered more war deaths than the Australian people did during the approx. 2,107 days of the last world war.


A sad comparison


In World War Two 34,000 Australian service personnel were killed along /w 700-1,000 civilians [ABS 1998, Parramatta History and Heritage 2020, Statistica 2024]. These numbers are estimated to be 5% of Australia's total population as of 30 June 1939. 


In the War on Gaza from 7 Oct 2023 up to 14 Aug 2024 a total of 39,965 Palestinians are recorded as killed [UN OCHR August 2024] with est. 11,000 of those killed being children.

NOTE: These UN numbers do not include the thousands missing presumed dead or the as yet unidentified dead stored within the Gaza Strip.

However, the numbers do represent an estimated 2.0% of the Palestinian population residing in the Gaza Strip on 1 September 2023.


As of 20 August 2024 there is no negotiated ceasefire or any timetable for a declaration that the War on Gaza has ended.


Jewish Council Australia, media release, 14 August 2024:


Jewish Council condemns Peter Dutton and Dave Sharma for stoking racism in comments on Palestinians fleeing genocide


August 14, 2024


Today, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told Sky News that no Palestinians from Gaza should be entering Australia and that a visa scheme for Palestinians fleeing Gaza would put Australia’s national security at risk.


These comments were made days after Liberal Party Senator Dave Sharma criticised the government, suggesting that Palestinians entering Australia “might endanger” Australian citizens and “our own democracy.”


These comments cannot be taken in isolation. Only two weeks ago, neo-Nazis held a Trump inspired anti-immigration rally outside Federation Square in Melbourne calling for the mass deportation of immigrants. Rather than clearly distancing themselves from dangerous anti-immigrant sentiment, Peter Dutton and Dave Sharma are only fuelling division.


The Jewish Council rejects any assertion that Palestinians fleeing violence are a threat to the safety of Australians.


Palestinians in Gaza face extreme levels of violence. On Saturday morning, an Israeli attack at the Al-Tabeen School in Gaza City killed at least 100 people, making it one of the deadliest attacks in Israel’s 10 month assault on Gaza. The intensity of the bombing was such that many victims were dismembered beyond recognition. Doctors resorted to collecting body parts in plastic bags, giving families 70 kilos of remains when their loved ones could not be individually identified.


The horrific reality of violence faced by Palestinians in Gaza underlines the need for Australians to do all we can to support and welcome Gazans seeking to enter Australia.


Dr Max Kaiser, historian and Executive Officer


The rhetoric directed against Palestinian refugees is reminiscent of the same rhetoric used to vilify Jewish refugees in the 1940s and 1950s who were frequently labeled ‘security risks’. This rhetoric is also part of a long history of racism and exclusion in Australia, from the White Australia Policy to panics about ‘boat people’.”


Sarah Schwartz, human rights lawyer and Executive Officer


Peter Dutton and Dave Sharma should be ashamed of themselves for using anti-immigrant rhetoric to stoke fear and division. It is only weeks since anti-immigrant riots took place in the UK, and neo-Nazis held an anti-immigration rally in Melbourne’s CBD. Politicians should be distancing themselves from all forms of racism and xenophobia not fuelling division.


The Australian Government should not be influenced by the Israel lobby’s false and racist depictions of Palestinians. Many Jewish people have family histories of fleeing persecution and understand the importance of Australia meeting its obligations under International Law to protect the human rights of refugees.”


Historical background


Rhetoric directed against Palestinian refugees is reminiscent of the same rhetoric used to vilify Jewish refugees in the 1940s and 1950s who were frequently labeled ‘security risks’. T.H. White, Australia’s delegate to the 1938 Evian Conference famously said with reference to German and Austrian Jewish refugees, Australia has "no real racial problem [and is] not desirous of importing one". This rhetoric is also part of a long history of racism and exclusion in Australia, from the White Australia Policy to the War on Terror’s exclusion of people from the Middle East.


Statements by Leader of the Opposition & LNP MP for Dickson, Peter Dutton:


The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 August 2024:


....Dutton on Wednesday decided to push beyond the Coalition’s previous demands for tougher scrutiny of Palestinian refugees, saying: “I don’t think people should be coming in from that war zone at all at the moment. It’s not prudent to do so and I think it puts our national security at risk.”


9 News, 15 August 2024:


"So (the government) said that they will bring people into Australia who are sympathisers with a listed terrorist organisation," Dutton said.

"Could you imagine if we were proposing to bring people in who were sympathetic to another listed terrorist organisation, like al-Qaeda or ISIL or ISIS? It's completely unacceptable.

"You bring 3000 people in, let's say 99 per cent are good.

"If one per cent, 30 people, are questionable or sympathisers with a listed terrorist organisation, how on earth is that in our country's best interests?"


ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess has previously said that "rhetorical" sympathy for Hamas would not be considered an automatic bar to entry.


Note: Using statistics drawn out of thin air to create hypothetical risk scenarios produces nothing but 'word salad' - especially as the number of Palestinian refugees who have entered Australia since October 2023 is far less than the 3,000 mentioned. A wider lens is required. As an example, between 2014 & 2020, a total of 3,360,650 people entered Australia on migrant visas [ABS, 2021]. If the total number of individuals actually charged with terrorism related offenses within this period had been in that 6 year migrant intake, it would still only have represented an estimated percentage point of 0.003273176320057132% of this statistical cohort.

 

A cartoonist's perspective


Matt Golding


An exchange in the Australian Parliament


House of Representatives, Hansard, 15 August 2024, excerpt:


Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (09:16): It's extremely concerning to see the opposition turn up today with this suspension of standing orders and the words and the rhetoric that we're hearing here. It goes directly against the advice of ASIO and the concern around the polarisation in our communities—that whipping up of a sense of fear and that inference that, for example, our services and systems are not working. What I'd like to share is the human story, the real story, about some of the people we're talking about and the lives we're talking about.

Mr Conaghan interjecting—

Ms STEGGALL: And I would ask you to be silent! I have the floor!

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Cowper will cease interjecting. The member for Warringah will be heard, just as other members were heard, in silence.

Ms STEGGALL: In 2020, I met a man called Mohammed at the North Steyne Surf Life Saving Club. He had come to Australia under a visa approved by the Morrison government under the same systems. He came to participate in a surf lifesaving skills program. He wanted to give the children of Gaza an opportunity to learn water safety, to not drown, to have something positive on weekends. They loved that program. They attended.

Unfortunately, after the horrendous events of October, that program, of course, ended. The bombing started. Many people that participated in that program have died. Many of the children have died. These are normal families. These are families that you are seeking to paint as all being terrorists, who should all be mistrusted and who are not worthy of humanitarian aid.

Mr Dutton: Complete rubbish! Stop repeating the governments lines.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

Ms STEGGALL: We heard you in silence; you can hear me in silence. Stop being racist.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition is seeking the call.

Mr Dutton: That was an offensive and unparliamentary remark and it should be withdrawn.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is far too much noise. As I previously asked for the chamber to be silent, I'm just going to ask the member for Warringah, if she made an unparliamentary remark, to withdraw it to assist the House.

Ms STEGGALL: Could I have a clarification: is a description of language as being racist an unparliamentary remark?

Mr Katter interjecting—

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kennedy will resume his seat. Just to assist the House so the debate can keep going, as has been previously ruled, I will just ask the member to withdraw and continue. [my yellow highlighting]


The War on Gaza continues


ABC News, 16 August 2024:


The death toll in Gaza from Israel's offensive has surpassed 40,000 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

It says a total of 40,005 people have been killed and 92,401 injured since October 7, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel....


The Leader of the Opposition & LNP MP for Dickson continues


The Daily Telegraph, 17 August 2024:


The Nazis tried to conceal their crime of murdering six million Jews. Hamas felt no guilt when they carried out their terrorist attack on October 7. They invaded Israel with body cams and phones to film their butchery of 1200 people – the greatest loss of Jewish life on a single day since the Holocaust.


The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 August 2024:


The advice that I have is that, out of the last 33 people who have been charged with terrorist-related offences in this country, 22 are from second- and third-generation Lebanese Muslim backgrounds,” he said in November 2016.

The comments were widely condemned at the time and last year, in an episode of the ABC’s Kitchen Cabinet, journalist Annabel Crabb put to Dutton that they were racist.

They’re comments that I shouldn’t have made,” he replied. “I have apologised for that.”

But five leaders of Australia’s Lebanese Muslim community now say they have no recollection of Dutton ever making that apology.

The opposition leader’s office did not respond to multiple enquiries from this masthead about when, how and to whom he said sorry.

[my yellow highlighting]


The pushback by members of the Jewish community in Australia continues




Friday, 12 July 2024

On 9July 2024 UN experts declared famine has spread throughout Gaza strip

 



A malnourished Palestinian baby is held while receiving treatment at the International Medical Corps field hospital, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem



PRESS RELEASES | SPECIAL PROCEDURES


UN experts declare famine has spread throughout Gaza strip

09 July 2024


GENEVA (9 July 2024) – The recent deaths of more Palestinian children due to hunger and malnutrition leaves no doubt that famine has spread across the entire Gaza strip, a group of independent experts* said today.


Fayez Ataya, who was barely six months old, died on 30 May 2024 and 13-year-old Abdulqader Al-Serhi died on 1 June 2024 at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. Nine-year-old Ahmad Abu Reida died on 3 June 2024 in the tent sheltering his displaced family in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. All three children died from malnutrition and lack of access to adequate healthcare,” the experts said.


With the death of these children from starvation despite medical treatment in central Gaza, there is no doubt that famine has spread from northern Gaza into central and southern Gaza.”


The experts said the death of a child from malnutrition and dehydration indicates that health and social structures have been attacked and are critically weakened. “When the first child dies from malnutrition and dehydration, it becomes irrefutable that famine has taken hold,” the experts said.


We declare that Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people is a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across all of Gaza. We call upon the international community to prioritise the delivery of humanitarian aid by land by any means necessary, end Israel’s siege, and establish a ceasefire.” [my yellow highlighting]


When a 2-month-old baby and 10-year-old Yazan Al Kafarneh died of hunger on 24 February and 4 March respectively, this confirmed that famine had struck northern Gaza. The whole world should have intervened earlier to stop Israel’s genocidal starvation campaign and prevented these deaths,” the experts said. “Thirty-four Palestinians have died from malnutrition since 7 October, the majority being children. Inaction is complicity.”


The experts: Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food; Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967; Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Barbara G. Reynolds (Chair), Bina D’Costa, Dominique Day and Catherine Namakula, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent


Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Comprising the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, Special Procedures is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.