Over 100 people have starved to death in Gaza
Scores of people picketed outside the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town on Thursday to protest Israel's use of starvation as a "weapon of war".
Protestors stood along the roadside and banged empty pots and pans to symbolise the lack of food in Gaza. They also carried placards that read "Let babies live" and "Arrest Netanyahu".
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The protest comes as more than 100 organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (also known as Doctors Without Borders) and Amnesty International, say that the Israeli government is blocking humanitarian organisations from distributing life-saving aid.
The protest was organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Mothers4Gaza and Healthcare Workers 4 Palestine.
Reports state that there have been more than 40 starvation deaths this week in Gaza, bringing the total recorded number of people who have starved to death to over 110.
Aid organisations, in a letter this week, said, "Just outside Gaza, in warehouses - and even within Gaza itself - tonnes of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sit untouched with humanitarian organisations blocked from accessing or delivering them. The government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death."
Dr Gonda Perez said they decided to picket at about 5pm on Wednesday. "We've come together to express our extreme anger and distress about what is happening in Gaza. It is not starvation from any natural causes; it is deliberate. The Israeli regime is blocking food [meant for] people who are starving."
She said there were protests at health facilities across Cape Town.
Dr Louis Reynolds from the People's Health Movement of South Africa said there was a huge burden of disease on the health system in Gaza, which has largely been destroyed.
"What we're seeing in Gaza is a medical emergency. Severe acute malnutrition is very difficult to manage clinically when it gets to a pre-terminal stage. The health services are virtually destroyed," he said.
Ayesha Bagus, of Mothers4Gaza, said she joined after seeing images of children starving.
"What have we become to allow Israel to do this to the Palestinian people? There are over 100 people who have died from starvation. They are starving an entire nation, and they are doing it on purpose. They're not just bombing civilians in Palestine; they are starving an entire nation."
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