Food will run out in days under Israel's total blockade of Gaza, humanitarian experts warn

Humanitarian organizations on Tuesday called for international aid forGaza as Israel imposes a further blockade on the impoverished territory.Whileexperts condemnedtheHamas attacks on Israelis as "abhorrent," they also warnedthat a completesiege on the territorywill lead to disastrous shortages of food, water and electricity for millions of civilians.

Representatives from the United Nations to refugee councils have said the latest Israelisiegewould be another example of international law being broken by those on both sides of the conflict, which has left hundreds dead and thousands more injured since Saturday.

"It's going to affect everything," Michael Lynk,former United Nations special rapporteur for the situation of human rights and the Palestinian territory, said of a total blockade.

"Gaza is a perpetual case of humanitarian disaster. But this is not earthquakes that are occurring or typhoons that are occurring. This is human-made disasters."

Experts say a total siege on Gaza will affect access to food, water, electricity, medical supplies and sewage treatment for the territory's 2.3 million residents. The United Nations has said such a blockade would violateinternational humanitarian law but without resolve from the international community to enforce those laws, experts saidcivilians will be the ones bearing the consequences.

WATCH | The humanitarian crisis facing civilians in Gaza:

Gaza faces humanitarian crisis with Israeli retaliation

11 months ago

Duration 1:59

After an attack by Hamas, Israel has declared a siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off food, water and fuel a move many say will cause a humanitarian crisis in a region thats already struggling.

Israel vows completesiege ofterritory

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that authorities would fully cut offsupplies to Gaza after Hamas militants launched a stunning attack on Israel Saturday.

Civilians have paid the price for the violence on both sides of the conflict since the attack.

• What questions do you have about the conflict? Send an emailto ask@cbc.ca.

Hamas's assault resulted in more than 1,000 Israelis dead and about 150 civilians and soldiers taken hostage, withHamasthreatening to execute some of them if Israel's airstrikes on Gaza continued without warning.

At least 900 Palestinianshave been killed as a result of the war so far, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said Tuesday,with entire districts in Gaza flattened.

Thousands of people have been wounded on both sides.

The movement of people and goods including food and water has been controlled under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel withdrew its military forces from the territory under international pressure in 2005but has said itneeded to maintainthe blockadetoprotect Israelisfrom Hamas.

"Israel controls everything that goes in and out of the Gaza Strip," said Lynk, who visited Gaza periodically while he worked for the UN in Jerusalem.

WATCH |Siegesendangering civilians not allowedunder internationallaw,UN repsays:

Sieges that endanger civilians 'prohibited under international humanitarian law,' UN rep says

11 months ago

Duration 0:52

Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, discussed Israel announcing a 'complete siege' of Gaza after Hamas launched attacks from the enclave that have since escalated into a war.

He said food would run out "very quickly" under a total blockade, leading to "the beginnings of starvation within a couple of days." He saidtwo-thirds of the Palestinian population in Gaza would also be affected by the loss of potable water.

Lynk said thesiege would also affect sewage treatment, leading to raw sewage in the streets of Gaza that could spread disease.

"Significant shortages" in medical equipment and medicines would get worse, he said, creating a "humanitarian health-care crisis."

"The doctors and the hospitals are going to be overwhelmed by the number of people comingand the inability to have either the staff and, particularly, to have theequipment and drug treatment to be able to work on them," he said.

Some187,500 peoplehave fled their homes in Gaza, a UNhumanitarian officespokesperson said Monday.The Rafah crossing into Egypt, the sole pathwayto leave the territory because the rest of Gaza is surrounded byIsrael and the Mediterranean Sea, was closed Tuesday.

The World Health Organization hascalled for a humanitarian corridor to be opened to allow new medical supplies to be ferried into Gaza.

Siege might mean 'utter disaster,' groups warn

The secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, an international aid organization, said the Israeli government's move Mondaywould spell "utter disaster'' for civiliansliving in Gaza.

"There is no doubt that collective punishment is in violation of international law. It's as clear as that,'' Jan Egeland told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

"If and when it would lead to wounded children dying in hospitals because of a lack of energy, electricityand supplies, it could amount to war crimes.''

A statement from the International Criminal Court on Tuesday said its prosecutor is gathering information on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The courtinvestigates and tries those charged with "the gravest crimes of concern to the international community," including crimes against humanity.

WATCH | How Hamas went undetected indays leading up toattack on Israel:

How Hamass surprise attack on Israel unfolded

11 months ago

Duration 7:42

Israel has declared war with Hamas after the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise attack that killed hundreds. The National breaks down how Hamas went seemingly undetected by Israeli intelligence for months and days leading up to the attack and what could happen next.

The UN'ssecretary-general condemned the "abhorrent" attacks by Hamasbut said he was also "deeply distressed" by Israel's blockade.

"The humanitarian situation inGazawas extremely dire before these hostilities. Now, it will only deteriorate exponentially,''Antonio Guterres said at a news conference in New York on Monday.

"While I recognize Israel's legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law."

Guterres called for UNaccess to deliver humanitarian aid and urgedinternational partners to support those efforts.

Political resolve needed to enforce laws

Lynk, who is alsoa professor emeritus at the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., says international humanitarianlaws are only as strong as the international community's resolve to enforce them.

"There is no such thing as an effective international court that can wind up enforcing rightsthat we think are guaranteed in international law. International law is the promise that countries make to one another," he said.

"Accountability in the enddepends not simply on the law. It also depends upon political resolve in the international community, and there's been precious little of that."

A UN-appointed commission of inquiry said in a statement there was already "clear evidence that war crimes mighthave been committed" by all sides inthe conflict. It said it was collecting evidence to ensure future legal accountability.