Arab League sees events in Gaza as deliberate war of siege, starvation

The Arab League has condemned the current events in the Gaza Strip, including forced displacement, disrupted water supply, and the ban on the entry of food, fuel, and medicine, describing them as "a deliberate war of siege and starvation of its residents, exceeding all reasonable and logical limits." The League emphasized that all residents of the Strip suffer from severe and acute food insecurity, with half a million living in a state of famine.In a statement issued on the occasion of World Population Day, observed annually on July 11, the League highlighted that the conflict in the Gaza Strip is now entering its ninth month. The Israeli occupation forces continue to devastate the Palestinian health system by destroying most hospitals and health centers and systematically targeting medical teams and staff. This has placed over 60,000 pregnant women at risk of death during childbirth under unhealthy and inhumane conditions.Despite progress in health-related goals, millions of people remain marginalized and discriminated against, with no noticeable improvement in their daily lives, especially in countries still experiencing armed conflicts or under occupation, most notably Palestine, the statement noted.The Arab League called on the international community and people of conscience to take a decisive stand against the Israeli aggression and support the remaining Palestinian population. It referenced the International Conference on Population and Development and the Cairo Declaration issued in 1994 as pioneering steps toward supporting reproductive rights for all, recognizing the health system's role in enabling human rights. The improvement in data collection and analysis in recent years has also led to more comprehensive and accurate information on achieving health-related goals.The League highlighted significant achievements, including a 34 percent decrease in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2020, and a 19 percent decrease in unintended pregnancy rates, alongside the doubling of women using modern family planning methods between 1990 and 2019.