Switzerland urges immediate humanitarian aid as famine hits Gaza

LONDON

Switzerland expressed concern Friday about the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, following confirmation of famine in Gaza City.

"Switzerland is alarmed by the confirmation of famine in Gaza City. Immediate humanitarian response at scale is needed to prevent further deepening and expansion. Israel must allow unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip now," The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the US social media company X.

It came after the UN-backed monitoring body, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), reported that as of Aug. 15, famine in Gaza had been confirmed with reasonable evidence.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, said Friday that the famine in Gaza that is deliberately created by the Israeli government is confirmed after also being formally confirmed by IPC.

Israel has killed nearly 62,300 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

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.