Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says Israel’s inhumane “tactics of starvation” in Gaza are “inadmissible.”
In a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Belgian leader said the regime in Tel Aviv has to urgently “provide more humanitarian access to Gaza.”
In separate remarks to journalists, during a visit to Jordan’s capital Amman, he condemned Israel’s for using hunger as a “weapon of war” in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“I see today there is a very large population [in Gaza] at risk of famine,” he said. “It’s up to Israel to prove that famine won’t be used as a weapon of war.”
Israel urgently needs to provide more humanitarian access to Gaza.
Tactics of starvation are inadmissible.
Belgium continues to support @UNRWA
It is the backbone of aid to the people in #Gaza
We expressed condolences to @UNLazzarini for over 160 staff who have been killed. pic.twitter.com/SBLDfTKtC1
— Alexander De Croo 🇧🇪🇪🇺 (@alexanderdecroo) March 16, 2024
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that northern Gaza in particular faces the threat of imminent famine.
De Croo also called on Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon plans for a ground offensive into the city of southern city of Rafah in Gaza.
Netanyahu approved the military’s plan for a ground invasion in Rafah, which has become home to over 1 million displaced Palestinians.
Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in early October, has driven around 80 percent of the territory’s population from their homes and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.
The war has directly resulted in the death of more than 31,500 Palestinians.
Thousands more have also died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care. Those people are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals.
