Barran Press
On Monday, December 2, 2024, an international conference aimed at enhancing humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip commenced in Cairo, Egypt, amid a severe famine exacerbated by ongoing hostilities from Israel that have persisted for 14 months.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the conference, titled “Cairo Ministerial Conference to Enhance the Humanitarian Response in Gaza,” is being held under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. It features the attendance of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and representatives from 103 delegations, including countries, organizations, and financial institutions.
The statement emphasized that the conference is part of Egypt's ongoing efforts to support humanitarian responses in Gaza and address the humanitarian catastrophe faced by the Palestinian people in the region.
The conference aims to secure clear commitments for aid to Gaza, bolster international support to ensure sustainable humanitarian responses, and mobilize efforts to provide urgent humanitarian assistance, along with planning for early recovery in the sector.
Notable participants include Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, as reported by their respective foreign ministries.
Prior to the conference, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Ati met with Karl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). Abdel-Ati praised the WFP's repeated calls for ensuring the passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, acknowledging the organization's commitment despite the severe challenges posed by repeated attacks on its staff amid Israel's starvation policy that has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis.
On Saturday, the WFP revealed that "the hunger crisis is worsening across Gaza, with the prices of essential food items rising by over 1,000% compared to pre-conflict levels."
Palestinians in Gaza are facing a starvation policy due to Israel's obstruction of humanitarian aid, as confirmed by various international and UN organizations reported by Anadolu Agency.
The international community has called on Israel to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza to prevent famine, but these appeals have gone unanswered.
The famine has worsened across much of the region, especially in the north, due to relentless violence and starvation policies, leaving all areas of the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented humanitarian disaster as winter approaches for the second consecutive year, with around two million displaced Palestinians, many of whom are living in tents.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned on Sunday that Palestinians in Gaza are now entirely dependent on humanitarian aid "amid the ongoing undermining of the UN's ability to fulfill its mandate."
On October 28, the Israeli Knesset officially approved a ban on UNRWA activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. On November 4, Israel notified the United Nations of the cancellation of the 1967 agreement regarding UNRWA’s operations, which would effectively prohibit its activities if the decision takes effect within three months.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with U.S. support, has been accused of committing genocide in Gaza, resulting in over 149,000 Palestinian casualties, the majority being children and women, along with more than 10,000 missing individuals, amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of many children and elderly, marking one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.