Spain to Contribute Over $560,000 to Support UN Investigations into Israeli War Crimes in Gaza

Madrid (Quds News Network)- Spain will provide more than $560,000 to support UN investigations into human rights abuses and possible war crimes committed in Gaza, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Monday.

“With the aim of ending these violations of international law and with the desire to ensure accountability, I announce that we will support the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in increasing its investigative efforts into human rights violations and war crimes that may have been committed in Gaza,” Albares told Spain’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, according to media reports.

He said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s aid blockade was “totally and absolutely unacceptable” and held Israel responsible for “causing an unprecedented famine”.

“The urgent entry of food is necessary to save the lives of innocent Palestinians,” he said. “The civilian population of Gaza deserves dignity and peace, and Spain demands it and will continue to demand it.”

Last week, Spain participated in the International Court of Justice hearings concerning Israel’s obligations as an occupying power in the occupied Palestinian territories. It reiterated Israel’s responsibility to comply with its obligations under international and humanitarian law, including ensuring the basic needs of the population and cooperating with the UN.

Israel unilaterally violated the Gaza ceasefire in March after refusing to proceed to the second phase, which would have secured the release of all remaining captives. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected offers from Hamas for their release.

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.

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 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.”

Israel resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18, killing over 2,400 Palestinians and wounding more than 6,500—mostly children and women, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.