NEW YORK – Speaking at a press conference, Fletcher stated that the current famine in Gaza was both foreseeable and preventable, emphasising that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners could save lives on a massive scale if they were allowed to do so, as they did during the ceasefire earlier this year.

He added that the plan to end the famine in Gaza is simple: “A ceasefire, hundreds of trucks entering daily, full access, safe roads, ending bureaucratic delays, restoring electricity and water, and allowing commercial traffic.”

He stated that the crisis in Gaza is occurring amid “the daily erosion of the rules of war,” noting that Israeli government ministers have spoken openly about “destroying Gaza, forcing people into permanent displacement, and bombing food aid.”