Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says she’s witnessed Israel deliberately obstructing life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Together with former Irish President Mary Robinson, Clark visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian territory this week.
The twoformer world leaders were part of The Elders, an independent, non-government organisation of global leaders working together for peace, justice, human rights and sustainability.
Their joint statement said they saw evidence of food and medical aid being denied entry to Gaza, “causing mass starvation to spread”.
“What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza, there is an unfolding genocide,” the statement said.
“The deliberate destruction of health facilities in Gaza means children facing acute malnutrition cannot be treated effectively.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week said if his army had a policy of starvation “no one would be alive two years into the war”.
Israel also disputed the figures provided by authorities in the Palestinian territory, but had not provided its own.
No shelter materials had entered Gaza since March this year, the statement said, leaving families already displaced multiple times without protection.
Former Irish President Mary Robinson and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark have visited the Rafah border crossing. Photo / Elder
“Many new mothers are unable to feed themselves or their new-born babies adequately, and the health system is collapsing,” Clark said.
“All of this threatens the very survival of an entire generation,” she said.
Truth mattered, their joint statement said.
“The uncomfortable truth is that many states are prioritising their own economic and security interests, even as the world is reeling from the images of Gazan children starving to death,” Robinson said.
“Political leaders have the power and the legal obligation to apply measures to pressure this Israeli government to end its atrocity crimes.”
“This is all the more urgent in light of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Gaza City takeover plan. President Trump has the leverage to compel a change of course. He must use it now,” she said.
Netanyahu had defended his plan, saying the best option to defeat Hamas was to take the city by force.
The plan had been heavily criticised by Israelis, Palestinians, international organisations and other countries.
Israel has repeatedly denied famine and genocide were happening in Gaza. Photo / Elder
Robinson and Clark urged Hamas and Israel to re-engage in ceasefire talks and immediately release Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinian prisoners, and for Israel to immediately open all border crossings into Gaza.
They also called for states to suspend existing and future trade agreements with Israel, as well as the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel, urging the world to follow the lead of Germany and Norway.
Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund divested from Israeli firms linked to violations of international law this week, while Germany’s Chancellor suspended exports of arms to Israel.
“We call for recognition of the State of Palestine by at least 20 more states by September, including G7 members, EU member states and others,” their joint statement said.
Australia was the latest to announce it would make the decree at a UN General Assembly next month if its conditions were met, following in the footsteps of Canada, France and the UK.
At least 20 countries had on Wednesday called for aid to urgently be released into Gaza, saying suffering in the Palestinian territory had reached “unimaginable” levels.
New Zealand was not among them, and had not yet made any pledge to recognise a Palestinian state, but the Government said it was a matter of “when not if” it would.
