Politics

Amnesty Chief Slams Global Inaction Amid Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis

Friday 15 March 2024 - 12:16

Amid the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Amnesty International's Secretary-General Agnès Callamard delivered a scathing indictment of the international community's response, branding it as a display of "impotence and weakness." With Gaza's 2.4 million residents reeling from the aftermath of relentless Israeli aggression, Callamard chastised world leaders for their failure to apply meaningful pressure to ensure the unimpeded delivery of lifesaving aid.

Addressing reporters in Madrid, the human rights advocate criticized the convoluted air and maritime aid routes as inadequate substitutes for secured land crossings from Israel. Despite over 30,000 Palestinian lives lost since October, Callamard decried the global response as mere hand-wringing.

"It is a sign of impotence and weakness that aid has to be delivered by air or sea when there are established land crossings that could give access," she lamented, highlighting the continued flow of arms transfers to Israel amid the onslaught.

Callamard also took aim at the US plan to establish a temporary port in Gaza, questioning the logic of a scheme that could take up to 60 days to implement. In a crisis where every minute counts, she called for more than such "inadequate" stopgap measures, urging the activation of mechanisms to enforce international obligations and prevent further escalation.

As the death toll rises in one of the world's most densely populated territories, Callamard's rebuke lays bare the failure of global leadership to address the man-made humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.