Israeli Arabs continue protests against Gaza starvation

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Israeli Arabs continued on Monday their wave of protests against Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, accusing the government of using hunger as a weapon of war.

The latest actions include a three-day symbolic hunger strike by prominent Israeli Arab leaders, following a mass rally Friday in the northern city of Sakhnin that drew thousands.

Knesset member Ahmad Tibi, who joined the hunger strike, told Anadolu that Higher Follow-Up Committee took the decision for Arab Citizens of Israel.

“This is a symbolic act, a cry to stop Israel’s criminal starvation policies in Gaza,” he said.

“One hundred and thirty-six children have already died from hunger. Every child who goes hungry is a child killed in cold blood. In the past month alone, 1,000 children were killed by bombing and fire.”

Tibi warned that the crisis is not limited to Gaza, pointing to mounting settler violence in the occupied West Bank “backed and facilitated by the Israeli army and police.”

“We want the world to hear that the leaders of Palestinians of 1948 are striking and protesting so that those who turned their backs on Gaza, or shut their ears to the cries of its children, will also take to the streets,” he said, referring to Israeli Arabs.

He praised the “massive turnout of mayors, local council heads, civil society groups and the broader public” at the Sakhnin rally, saying it reflected the unity of the Arab community inside Israel.

Israeli Arabs constitute 21% of Israel’s nearly 10 million population.

The Higher Follow-Up Committee said demonstrations will continue on Monday with a protest in Jaffa, followed on Tuesday by a rally outside the US Embassy.

Earlier Monday, UNICEF warned that every Palestinian in Gaza is now hungry, with children “the most affected,” due to Israel’s months-long blockade that has cut off baby formula and other vital supplies.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.