Israel forces aid organizations to purchase food from Egypt and prevents them from buying it in Israel, which would allow for a more efficient and rapid transfer of goods. Israel also prohibits the private sector in Gaza from purchasing food, which could significantly increase supply. Although Israel recently allowed trucks in through Kerem Shalom Crossing, too, which is designed for commercial transports, this was merely a token addition that has failed to alleviate the hardship.

Aid organizations are struggling to operate under current conditions, and most of the limited aid allowed in remains in Rafah instead of reaching residents throughout the Strip. Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, listed several reasons why aid cannot be efficiently distributed. Among other things, he noted that trucks are inspected several times before Israel allows them into Gaza, and even then, long lines form due to the conditions at Rafah Crossing. The little food that does get in is very difficult to distribute due to the constant bombings, destroyed roads, frequent communication blackouts, and shelters overflowing with of hundreds of thousands of IDPs crowding into smaller and smaller areas.

Israel can, if it so chooses, change this reality. The images of children begging for food, people waiting in long lines for paltry handouts and hungry residents charging at aid trucks are already inconceivable. The horror is growing by the minute, and the danger of famine is real. Still, Israel persists in its policy.

Changing this policy is not just a moral obligation. Allowing food into the Gaza Strip is not an act of kindness but a positive obligation under international humanitarian law: starvation as a method of warfare is prohibited

    • McDropout@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      16
      ·
      10 months ago

      The downvotes whenever I mention this are not very telling.

      Many individuals tend to cling to a state of denial when confronted with the notion that participating in an electoral system limited to choosing between two political parties does not authentically embody the principles of a genuine democracy.

      But I digress.

      • harmsy@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        10
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        10 months ago

        Well if someone actually good ran for President I’d vote for them. Until then, I’ll have to make do and vote for the person who isn’t actively trying to make the US as nightmarish as possible.

        • Maalus@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          10 months ago

          There are third party candidates that are “actually good”. Also, you are voting for genocide if you choose either of the two main candidates.

          • harmsy@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            10 months ago

            Guess I forgot to include that they also have to have a nonzero chance of getting elected.

            • Maalus@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              10 months ago

              So instead of voting for candidates that agree with your worldview, you’d rather vote for the two “available” ones, both of which support genocide

              • harmsy@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                10 months ago

                I have to make do with the cards I’ve been dealt, unfortunately. Part of me wants to flip the table, but that is only going to make things worse.

        • Wrench@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          16
          arrow-down
          7
          ·
          10 months ago

          And that’s not going to happen without a super majority.

          Literally, your only chance to get the change you’re looking for is to vote Democrat across the board, get them a super majority, and hope (against odds) that they choose to pursue election reform.

          The popular opinion on lemmy of not participating in the 2 party system is just shouting into the wind while simultaneously enabling the extreme right.

          Grow the fuck up.

            • Wrench@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              5
              arrow-down
              6
              ·
              edit-2
              10 months ago

              So besides kicking and screaming, what is your actual mechanism of achieving change? What does not voting or adding to the <5% of independent voters achieve?

              Or will you continue to winge about how the democrats aren’t doing anything despite not actually having enough votes to do any of the things you’re demanding.

              Edit - thought so. Not a single idea offered. You all sound exactly like the Occupy Wallstreet crowd that kicked and screamed as loudly as they could, but couldn’t offer a single plausible solution to fix the problem.

              You want to complain that the status quo sucks without a plan on how to fix it.

              Again, grow the fuck up.

              The fascists need to be squashed. If we can give the Dems a super majority, they will have the tools to actually do something about it. Then they can break up into whatever new factions like progressives and moderates or whatever since it would be basically be inevitable after the fascists are pacified, and ranked choice voting would certainly be in the discussion.

              Or you can continue to scream into the wind and accomplish nothing.

              • mathemachristian[he]@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                5
                arrow-down
                4
                ·
                edit-2
                10 months ago

                The idea is that the dems won’t ever change anything if people vote blue no matter who. You want to make politicians work for your vote not hold you hostage in a “are you voting for a single genocide or double genocide” scenario. If you keep voting blue no matter who the slide into fascism will be just as sure only dragged out longer.

                He actual solution is communist revolution obviously, but that’s a whole other topic.

                • Maggoty@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  4
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  10 months ago

                  Dear God no. I’ve seen one civil war up close in my lifetime and that country is still fucked decades later. You don’t go that route if you don’t absolutely have to. And it’s very possible to get into the Democratic primaries to move the party left. Well unless you just throw your hands up and walk away.

                • Syntha@sh.itjust.works
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  ·
                  10 months ago

                  How is your revolution coming along? How many weapons have you stockpiled, how many people trained, how many judges, politicians and other civil servants have you recruited? Or does your plan consist of shitposting on Lemmy until CoMmuNiSM manifests out of thin air?

                • Wrench@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  arrow-down
                  3
                  ·
                  10 months ago

                  I do have one question, though. If you think blue are just fascists too, what makes you think, despite pretty much every communist government ever in history, that your new communist utopia won’t also fall into your clearly very broad definition of fascism?

                  • mathemachristian[he]@lemm.ee
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    4
                    arrow-down
                    3
                    ·
                    edit-2
                    10 months ago

                    Well my first point has nothing to do with communism but how voting dem doesn’t make sense even within the electoral system, but at least you found your moral high ground.

          • JimboDHimbo@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            10 months ago

            But what if I just want to watch the American Empire crumble and burn, Wrench?