Elders call on states to halt genocide and famine in Gaza

FORMER world leaders Helen Clark and Mary Robinson have issued a searing public statement condemning Israel’s continued obstruction of humanitarian aid into Gaza, accusing the Israeli government of deliberately exacerbating mass starvation and committing atrocity crimes.

Speaking following a recent visit to the region, Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and UNDP Administrator, and Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said what they witnessed supports the conclusion that “there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza. There is an unfolding genocide.”

Their statement comes in the wake of the targeted killing of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues. “The targeted killing of journalist Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues in Gaza is an attempt to silence the truth. Truth matters,” the statement read.

The two leaders reported seeing physical evidence of aid, both food and medical supplies, being denied entry, and said they heard direct witness accounts of Palestinian civilians, including children, being killed while trying to access assistance inside Gaza. “At least 36 children starved to death just in the month of July,” the statement said.

Clark highlighted alarming statistics about the impact of the conflict on maternal health. “I was horrified to learn from UNFPA that the birth rate in Gaza has dropped by over 40% in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period three years ago,” she said. “Women lack access to safe places to give birth, and many do so with insufficient anaesthesia or pain-killers. Many new mothers are unable to feed themselves or their newborn babies adequately, and the health system is collapsing. All of this threatens the very survival of an entire generation.”

The statement also noted that no shelter materials have entered Gaza since March 2025. Tents ready for delivery remain blocked, leaving families repeatedly displaced and exposed. “96% of households face water insecurity,” it said.

The leaders called on Israel to immediately open all border crossings into Gaza, including Rafah, and accused the international community of failing to uphold its obligations under the Genocide Convention. “The 1948 Genocide Convention was created in the aftermath of the Holocaust to prevent this crime ever happening again. But it is being flouted in word and deed by Israel in Gaza, and by powerful UN member states who are not holding Israel’s leadership to account,” the statement said.

Robinson issued a stark warning about international complicity: “Governments that are not using all the tools at their disposal to halt the unfolding genocide in Gaza are increasingly complicit. Political leaders have the power and the legal obligation to apply measures to pressure this Israeli government to end its atrocity crimes.”

She also referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reported “Gaza City takeover plan” and called on U.S. President Donald Trump to act decisively: “President Trump has the leverage to compel a change of course. He must use it now.”

While urging both Israel and Hamas to re-engage in ceasefire negotiations, the former leaders also called for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages by Hamas and the release of arbitrarily detained Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

They commended recent diplomatic efforts by France and Saudi Arabia to revive the two-state solution and urged countries to build on the momentum ahead of September. “We call for recognition of the State of Palestine by at least 20 more states by September, including G7 members, EU member states and others. We welcome Australia’s announcement in this regard,” the statement read.

However, they stressed that recognition alone would not stop the worsening situation on the ground. The leaders called for an immediate suspension of arms transfers to Israel, endorsing Germany’s decision to halt exports that could be used in Gaza.

They also urged targeted sanctions on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his security cabinet, as well as the suspension of preferential trade arrangements. “We urge a qualified majority of EU member states to invoke Article 2 and suspend the trade pillar of the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” they stated.

Citing the recent divestment by the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund from Israeli firms linked to violations of international law, the statement encouraged governments, businesses, and financial institutions to take similar actions.

“The uncomfortable truth is that many states are prioritising their own economic and security interests, even as the world is reeling from the images of Gazan children starving to death,” the statement concluded.