Ayatollah Sistani Urges Action to Break Gaza Blockade Amid Worsening Famine
In a statement issued by his office on Friday, the top Shia cleric condemned Israel’s policy of starving civilians as a means of warfare and described the humanitarian conditions in Gaza as “dire and unbearable.”
“The people of Palestine in Gaza are currently suffering from extremely dire living conditions, especially due to the acute shortage of food, which has caused widespread famine that has not spared even children, the sick, and the elderly,” the statement said.
Ayatollah Sistani denounced the failure of the international community to act decisively and urged governments — particularly in the Muslim world — to step up their pressure on the Israeli regime.
“World nations, especially Arab and Islamic countries, must intensify their efforts to halt the forced displacement of Palestinians and compel the occupying regime to open the way for the delivery of aid to innocent civilians,” he added.
His remarks come as Gaza’s Government Media Office reports that at least 122 Palestinians, including 83 children, have died from starvation since Israel’s assault began in October 2023 — most of them in recent weeks.
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Despite repeated international appeals, Israel has continued to obstruct the flow of essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Although some limited aid has been distributed through US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) centers, Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinians seeking relief. United Nations say more than 1,000 aid seekers have been killed and over 5,000 injured in such attacks in recent months.
Sistani’s office described the famine as a “moral catastrophe” and invoked human conscience as a force that should not remain silent in the face of such suffering.
“The horrific scenes of extreme hunger in the Gaza Strip, which the media is publishing, should not allow any human being with a conscience to enjoy eating or drinking,” the cleric warned.
The Media Office in Gaza has called for the unrestricted entry of at least 500 aid trucks and 50 fuel trucks per day, including urgent data-x-items such as baby formula, to alleviate the crisis.
It also demanded the formation of an international commission to investigate a ‘systematic starvation crime,’ and called for the arrest of Israeli soldiers and officials involved in the ongoing assault.
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“We hold the Israeli occupation, the US administration, and countries involved in genocide — such as Britain, Germany, and France — as well as the international community fully responsible for this historic crime,” the statement from Gaza said.
Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 59,676 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.2 million. Vast parts of the enclave have been reduced to rubble, while famine and disease continue to spread under the ongoing siege.
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