‘International Law No Longer Exists,’ US Muslim Group Says, Slamming Israel’s ‘Genocidal Campaign’
Washington (Quds News Network)- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned global inaction in the face of Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza, which has killed at least 57 Palestinians, including children.
In a statement, the US-based advocacy group denounced the death of a Palestinian baby, Janan al-Sakafi, as a result of the “Israeli-imposed – and US-supported – forced starvation”.
Since March 2, Israel has closed Gaza’s main crossings, halting the flow of food, medical aid, and other humanitarian supplies. This blockade has caused a severe and unprecedented decline in living conditions, with human rights organizations accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinians.
At least 57 people, the majority of whom are children, sick, and elder people, have died from malnutrition in Gaza since the start of the Israeli genocide in October 2023, Gaza’s Government Media Office stated on Saturday following the death of the baby girl from malnutrition and dehydration in the Rantisi Hospital, west of Gaza City.
The Office confirmed that the number of deaths from malnutrition is expected to increase as the crossings into Gaza remain closed and the entry of aid, baby formula and nutritional supplements have been prevented by Israel. It added that the vast majority of victims were children as well as sick and elderly people.
The US provides at least $3.8bn in military assistance to Israel annually, and it has provided billions more during the Israeli assault on Gaza.
“If Israel’s genocidal campaign of forced starvation can be carried out with impunity and with our own government’s support, international law no longer exists,” CAIR said, urging Washington to take action.
“Israel can seemingly violate all international laws and norms with an impunity that does not apply to any other nation on the planet. If international law is to have any meaning, the Trump administration and the world community must act immediately to stop Israel’s forced starvation, state terrorism, slaughter, mass destruction, and ethnic cleansing.”
Israel also resumed its genocide in Gaza on March 18 after violating the ceasefire agreement signed in January, killing over 2,200 Palestinians and wounding more than 5,700—mostly children and women, according the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of humanitarian catastrophe, with the enclave on the brink of “full-scale famine conditions.”
On Friday, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for the Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said the Israeli siege is collectively punishing children, women, older people and men in Gaza.
The UN’s World Food Programme said last week that its food supplies had been “depleted” amid the siege, warning that community kitchens upon which thousands of Palestinians rely would be forced to close.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians of all ages are experiencing high levels of food insecurity in Gaza, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, a global hunger watchdog.
Children in the enclave have not only faced relentless bombardment, but are also being deprived of essential goods, services and lifesaving care, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement on Friday.
“With each passing day of the aid blockade, they face the growing risk of starvation, illness and death – nothing can justify this,” Russell said. “The sea they used for fishing has been restricted. Bakeries are closing, water production is declining, and market shelves are almost bare.”
In the past month, she said, families have been forced to choose between showering, cleaning, and cooking as access to water is quickly deteriorating.
Vaccines are also running out, Russell warned, and diseases are spreading rapidly.
“Malnutrition is also on the rise,” she said, adding that more than 9,000 children have been admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition since the beginning of the year.
On Saturday, Dr. Munir al-Bursh, the General Director of the Ministry of Health, announced that Gaza has entered the fifth phase of famine. This phase poses the greatest danger to the lives of residents and means witnessing cases of mass deaths.
“We have seen a doubling in child mortality under the age of five, rising from 13 deaths per 1,000 children to 32 per 1,00”, al-Bursh said. “We call on the UN Security Council to declare a state of famine in Gaza and to open humanitarian corridors to deliver food and medicine.”
