''Crimes wey dem design'': Gaza Tribunal expose Israel use of starvation as weapon of war
Hani Almadhoun, wey be former UNRWA director and founder of one Gaza food relief initiative, link Israel starvation strategy to di way dem dey use aid and control food distribution.
Di historic Gaza Tribunal wey happun for Friday don look into di "crimes" wey dem say Israel commit, through three kain offences – starvation, ecocide, and domicide – to show how di Zionist state dey use food as weapon for dia war against Palestinians.
Di four-day public session for Istanbul University na di result of one year work wey international lawyers, scholars, and civil society people don do to gather evidence of di crimes wey dem say dem commit against Palestinians.
Professor Richard Falk, wey be former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, na im chair di Tribunal. Dis one na di first time wey dem dey try di Gaza genocide matter for di court of global conscience through civil initiative.
Di event wey happun from October 23 to 26 gather academics, human rights advocates, journalists, and civil society people to present evidence, testimonies, and legal analysis of war crimes and human rights violations for Gaza.
TRT World dey ground to report wetin dey happun.
Weaponisation of humanitarian aid
Professor Hilal Elver, wey be former UN Special Rapporteur on di Right to Food, talk for her speech about ‘Declaration of Famine and di Weaponisation of Humanitarian Aid’. She warn say di deliberate destruction of Gaza’s food supply na big wahala wey go affect generations.
“Di crime of deliberately creating famine no suppose dey forgotten, normalised or forgiven,” Elver tok for di hall.
She explain say di long-term damage to Gaza’s ecosystem and infrastructure na intentional, and e dey create economic starvation wey go still dey even after di guns stop to fire.
Elver also criticise di failure of international legal systems to punish di people wey dey responsible.
“Di United States don sanction ICC officials; di UN’s special procedures on di occupied territories don dey sidelined; di people wey commit di crimes dey protected,” she tok.
She explain say starvation dey complex legally, and e no need make people die from hunger before dem fit prosecute am.
“If you burn food, destroy bakeries or block humanitarian aid, dem acts don already be crime,” she tok.
“Without accountability, justice no go dey, and without justice, real recovery no go fit happun,” Elver add.
Starvation by design
Hani Almadhoun, wey be former UNRWA director and founder of one Gaza food relief initiative, link Israel’s starvation strategy to di way dem dey use aid and control food distribution. E title im talk ‘Starvation by Design: Blocked Aid and di Fight to Feed Gaza’.
“To control food na to control people,” Almadhoun tok.
E describe how aid don turn to instrument of control: “When person need food, e go dey desperate. Dem fit use dat desperation to collect information or force compliance; food go turn power.”
Almadhoun also criticise di Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and di one wey dey before am, di CERF, say dem dey mismanage and exploit di system.
“Di CERF wey dey before GHF dey collect millions of dollars, serve dia own people, and later dem go dismantle am,” e tok.
E remember di ‘flour massacre’ wey happun under one similar initiative, and add say, “Who be di security contractor dat time? Na di US. Dem start to dey shoot and kill.”
Almadhoun describe di pattern of attack and manipulation wey dey happen around aid deliveries.
“We no suppose allow humanitarian aid to turn weapon. Aid suppose dey safe, neutral, and guaranteed,” e tok.
Ecocide and domicide
Professor David Whyte, wey dey teach Climate Justice for Queen Mary University of London, talk about di environmental destruction for Gaza. E describe am as deliberate ecocide wey get long-term wahala.
“Di destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure don produce about 61.4 million tonnes of debris, wey pass twenty times di volume of all di military attacks wey don happun for Gaza since 2008,” Whyte tok.
E warn say di debris get industrial and medical waste, human remains, and unexploded bombs wey dey cause health risks.
Whyte explain how di attacks don affect Gaza’s water and sanitation systems, energy grids, and agricultural land.
“Di damage to water facilities dey show say dem target am directly, no be collateral damage,” e tok. “Dis na attack on di environmental infrastructure wey dey sustain life for Gaza.”
By 2025, Whyte say, 97 percent of tree crops and 82 percent of annual crops don dey destroyed, plus di demolition of greenhouses and farmland.
“Dis na deliberate campaign to make survival, now and for di future, almost impossible,” e tok.
E also talk say di environmental destruction and di demolition of homes, wey dem dey call domicide, dey connected as crimes wey dey erase life and di conditions for community, culture, and recovery.
Di final verdict serve as moral and historical record. Di participants believe say e fit change di way di world dey see responsibility and impunity for Palestine.