ISTANBUL

A former New Zealand premier said there is a "path to stopping the genocide still happening daily before us" in the Gaza Strip.

Jacinda Ardern, in a Friday opinion piece for The Guardian, said that the path includes more countries recognizing Palestine.

"Any cooperation that facilitates military action must end; humanitarian aid needs to urgently reach the trapped and starving; and medical care must be available for the injured, the malnourished, and for the expectant and new mothers," she wrote.

She stressed that as the leaders of the world gather in New York for next week’s 80th UN General Assembly, "we must continue to call on those with power to respond to these humanitarian crises, ranging from the conflict in Ukraine to natural disasters caused by the climate crisis."

"We should start with Gaza," Ardern said.

She added: "We may live in a world plagued by humanitarian crises, but we must resist the dehumanization of numbers.”

During over four years as prime minister, Ardern won acclaim for her handling of the COVID epidemic, before exiting the post in 2023.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out a genocide in Gaza, killing more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has displaced hundreds of thousands and caused famine that has claimed the lives of at least 435 people, including 147 children.