Hollow statements

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has reached an appalling new low. After months of siege, bombardment and displacement, what remains of the enclave is little more than a graveyard of rubble and grief. Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, tens of thousands of innocent people have been killed and those who survive face an even slower death from hunger, disease and deprivation.

In a joint statement this week, the foreign ministers of 24 countries — including Britain, Canada, Australia and several European countries — warned that "famine is unfolding before our eyes" and urged Israel to allow aid to flow into Gaza unrestricted. Their primary demand is to open all crossings, permit international NGOs to operate in what is the world's largest open air prison, and let in food, water, medicine, fuel and shelter materials without obstruction.

Yet such calls have been made for months, with little to show for it. Israel continues to control and restrict the flow of supplies, turning humanitarian relief into a bargaining chip, in defiance of international law. It is difficult to see the current Israeli policy as anything other than the use of starvation as a weapon — a crime under Geneva Conventions. The situation is made worse by the inability, or unwillingness, of global powers to move beyond statements of concern. Expressions of outrage have not translated into concrete steps — such as sanctions, arms suspensions or legal action — that might force a change in course.

The destruction of Gaza is an appalling indictment of the international system's failure to uphold its own rules. If the world allows an entire population to be bombed and starved, it loses the moral authority to speak of justice and human rights elsewhere.