Palestine condemns Israel's use of starvation as weapon in Gaza

RAMALLAH, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Ministry of National Economy on Friday condemned Israel for using starvation as a weapon in its war in the Gaza Strip for more than five months.

"The right to access food and medicine as guaranteed by international laws has no value to the Israeli government, in light of the international community's failure to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," the ministry said in a statement on the occasion of the World Consumer Rights Day, observed annually on March 15.

It highlighted the sharp and unprecedented rise in the cost of living index in the Gaza Strip as a result of the prolonged conflict, recording a staggering increase of 111 percent since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.

On Feb. 27, United Nations officials alerted the Security Council to the imminent famine in the Gaza Strip, stressing the urgent need for action to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territory.

At least 576,000 people in Gaza, or about one-quarter of the population, are "one step away from famine", said Ramesh Rajasingham, director of coordination at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.