Israel sends aid to South Sudan while enforcing starvation in Gaza

Israel said Monday it will send humanitarian aid to South Sudan, as Tel Aviv maintains a choking blockade on the Gaza Strip that has left the population facing famine.In a statement carried by Army Radio, the Foreign Ministry said Israel would provide emergency assistance to South Sudan following a cholera outbreak that has spread since September 2024.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said the announcement comes “amid reports of discussions with South Sudan on the possible transfer of Gaza residents to its territory,” though Juba has denied any such agreement.

According to the daily Israel Hayom, the aid package, overseen by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, will include basic medical supplies, water purification equipment, and food parcels.The announcement drew attention because Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings shut since March 2, preventing the entry of humanitarian convoys and allowing in only limited quantities that fall far short of the enclave’s needs.

Rights groups and UN officials have repeatedly accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a weapon of war against Gaza’s population.Last month, Saar hosted South Sudanese Foreign Minister Mundi Samaia Kumba in Jerusalem, thanking him for his country’s support for Israel. During the visit, Kumba toured Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Foreign media outlets reported earlier this month that South Sudan had given initial approval to receive Palestinians displaced from Gaza in return for Israeli investments. Juba later denied the claim, calling it “baseless.”

On Monday, Amnesty International accused Israel of carrying out a “deliberate campaign of starvation” in Gaza and “systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.”Israel has killed more than 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of 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.