Over 60,000 children under the age of 6 in Gaza are facing malnutrition, according to the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.
Speaking to Anadolu at Türkiye’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF), Sigrid Kaag said the humanitarian aid sent to the region through the UN during the Jan. 19 ceasefire reached those in need without any problems, but that since March 2, “aid has not been allowed in.”
Kaag also said the equipment needed by aid workers in the region to do their work is insufficient and the fuel needed to run hospitals has run out, adding that there were also disruptions in the distribution of humanitarian aid due to insufficient fuel and equipment.
She highlighted that under international law, Israel is obliged to ensure that aid can be delivered to Gaza and that it is imperative that humanitarian aid is delivered there as soon as possible.
Kaag said Israel’s attacks on Gaza are horrific not only for civilians but also for international aid workers, most of them Palestinian civilians.
The Israeli army renewed a deadly assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Nearly 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
– ‘Speed political dating’ in Antalya
Kaag described the Antalya Diplomacy Forum as an “excellent platform,” saying: “Issues are discussed from the perspective of the Global South, from within the region, important voices.”
Saying that some of her colleagues at the UN use the forum as a way “to politically speed date,” she added: “They have 20 or 30 meetings in one day. It saves a lot of travel and saves a lot of time, so it’s highly effective.”
Kaag underscored that Türkiye plays an important role on the world stage, emphasizing that the NATO member country offers versatile experiences as a highly productive country, investor, and political actor at both the regional and global levels.