The destruction of fishing livelihoods in the enclave had undermined the right to food for people in Gaza and pushed them into hunger and starvation, Fakhri said…reports Asian Lite News
A United Nations (UN) expert has condemned Israel’s “destruction” of the food system in Gaza and urged an end to the “starvation campaign” there.
At a meeting of the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food Michael Fakhri said that nearly 75 per cent of Gaza’s fishing sector had been devastated by Israeli bombardment, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Israel has mounted a starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza … by targeting small-scale fishers,” the independent rights expert said.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has denied all access to the sea, he said.
“Israeli forces decimated the Port of Gaza, destroying every single fishing boat and shack,” he said. “In Rafah, only two out of 40 boats are left. In Khan Younis, Israel destroyed approximately 75 small-scale fishing vessels.”
The destruction of fishing livelihoods in the enclave had undermined the right to food for people in Gaza and pushed them into hunger and starvation, Fakhri said.
On Tuesday, UN experts condemned the violence of Israeli troops that fired on crowds of Palestinians gathered to collect flour in the southwest of Gaza on February 29. At least 112 people died and some 760 were injured, according to a UN press release.
Ukraine to Shift Conscripts to Military Reserve
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree to discharge conscripts of compulsory basic military service.
The conscripted soldiers, whose term was extended due to martial law, will be transferred to the country’s military reserve in April and May, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the decree published on Thursday on the presidential website.
“At the request of the military command, a few weeks are needed for preparatory procedures — for replacing people in terms of defence tasks, and from April, the conscripts will be sent to the reserve,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
Some of the conscripts have already signed a contract to serve in the defence forces, he added.
Under the current legislation, Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 27, who were called up for compulsory military service, have not participated in the conflict with Russia.
This month, the Ukrainian Parliament is expected to vote on a new mobilization bill.
The Ukrainian parliament imposed martial law in the wake of the conflict with Russia on February 24, 2022, and extended it several times since then.
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