This General Election, the Irish people have the chance to demand that our next government leads with courage, pushing for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Silence is complicity.
For 50 days, Israel has blocked Oxfam, its partners, and other humanitarian organisations from delivering critical aid to tens of thousands of starving people in the North Gaza governate. The horrific, man-made crisis has reached advanced stages of ethnic cleansing.
An estimated 50,000 to 75,000 individuals remain trapped without access to food, water, or electricity. Israel designates them as combatants because they have not evacuated—or were unable to do so. It remains unclear how they are managing to survive or how many lives are being lost, including due to malnutrition.
“The situation in North Gaza is nothing short of catastrophic, and Ireland cannot stand idly by. Starving civilians as a method of warfare is not only a gross violation of international law but an affront to our shared humanity. This General Election, the Irish people have the chance to demand that our next government leads with courage, pushing for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Silence is complicity.”
“The stories coming from North Gaza are heart-wrenching—families starving, children dying of malnutrition, and communities forcibly displaced. Ireland has always been a voice for justice on the global stage, and this moment calls for nothing less. We need a government that will prioritize diplomacy, accountability, and human rights.”
“The crisis in Gaza is not a distant problem; it’s a test of global values. Our next government must commit to passing the Occupied Territories Bill without delay when the Dáil resumes. It must also use Ireland’s position in the EU to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, bring about a permanent ceasefire and ensure access to life-saving aid. Ireland can lead efforts to demand accountability and an end to the suffering.”
— Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland CEO
The UN reports that no full-scale food missions have reached North Gaza since October 6. All bakeries and kitchens have ceased operations, and programmes addressing malnutrition in children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers have been halted. Attempts by the UN to send emergency medical teams or provide fuel to maintain essential water and sanitation services have been repeatedly denied by Israeli authorities.
Around 100,000 people have recently fled north Gaza under Israeli forced displacement orders. Oxfam staff attempting to support them have heard harrowing testimonies. Israeli soldiers have told people fleeing “don’t dream of northern Gaza again” and made false promises of food being available at the end of their forced marches out.
"Our staff in Gaza have been desperately trying for nearly two months to reach starving civilians but have been blocked by the Israeli military. We know that many children are trapped and will be starving to death.
Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the north Gaza governorate proves once again that it is operating with impunity from the dictates of international law. It is laying infrastructure for a long-term military presence – a de facto annexation of the land – and burning any remaining hope of a just and peaceful solution.”
— Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International Executive Director
Oxfam is part of the Food Security Cluster, made up of UN and international agencies, all of whom have been continually denied permission to enter the North Gaza governorate since Israel escalated its military siege there on 6 October. Oxfam had received 1,840 food parcels and, had permission been granted, could have trucked in 800 parcels immediately – a shipment would have served 5,600 people with food.
“The international community remains impotent and, in some cases, fully complicit.
This is a dark moment in history as Israel is subjecting thousands of men, women and children to starvation as a weapon of war while world leaders look on in full awareness and choose to do nothing.”
— Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International Executive Director
Oxfam Ireland is demanding the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement; an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid to north Gaza. Access to aid must be scaled up across all of Gaza and Palestinians must be given the freedom to move home, rebuild, and live in peace free of occupation or blockade. As soon as the next Dáil convenes, the Occupied Territories Bill (2018) must be passed without delay.
Between 1 and 18 November, 85 per cent of* 41 coordination requests for humanitarian missions in North Gaza governorate were either denied (17) or impeded (18), while seven per cent (3) were facilitated. Specifically, 31 of these 41 requests were made for the besieged areas of Jabalya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahya.
The whole of North Gaza Governorate includes the besieged area but also the Zikim (Erez West) crossing, as well as southern Jabalya.
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare. As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is bound by IHL to provide for the needs and protection of the population of Gaza.
In 2018, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2417, which unanimously condemned the use of starvation against civilians as a method of warfare and declared any denial of humanitarian access a violation of international law.
“The situation in North Gaza is nothing short of catastrophic, and Ireland cannot stand idly by. Starving civilians as a method of warfare is not only a gross violation of international law but an affront to our shared humanity. This General Election, the Irish people have the chance to demand that our next government leads with courage, pushing for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Silence is complicity.”
"Our staff in Gaza have been desperately trying for nearly two months to reach starving civilians but have been blocked by the Israeli military. We know that many children are trapped and will be starving to death.
