Former President Mary Robinson has strongly criticised what she described as “ridiculous”, “nonsense”, and “malicious lying” in response to Israeli assertions that it is prepared to distribute aid into Gaza, reports RTE.
Mrs Robinson dismissed Israel’s claims that UN agencies are too slow in delivering aid, calling them “all ridiculous”.
“We saw the most there was incredible collaboration between the Egyptian Red Crescent… and the UN,” she said, following a trip to Egypt and the Rafah border crossing with former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, reports RTE.
After the visit, Mrs Robinson called for targeted sanctions against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and every member of his security cabinet.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, she said: “There are piles of vital materials that have been rejected, sent back. Tents, wheelchairs, crutches,” reports RTE.
She recounted seeing two trucks returning with food packages, and one driver told her he’d been turned away twice in 24 hours for minor issues, such as the cargo being “too high”.
“I mean, for goodness sake,” Mrs Robinson said, describing the situation as “unconscionable”, reports RTE.
“We need to prevent and to punish, not to allow genocide.”
Israel has denied being to blame for the hunger crisis in Gaza, instead accusing Hamas of stealing aid—a claim Hamas rejects.
In reaction to increasing international criticism, Israel recently announced new steps to allow more aid into Gaza, including temporary pauses in fighting and the creation of protected routes for aid deliveries, reports RTE.
She applauded “the effort on one side” of the border but criticised “the lack of even working hours on the other (Israeli) side,” who she said often “knock off at four in the afternoon”.
“It is nonsense and it’s part of the malicious lying on the Israeli side to deny starvation and to blame the UN,” reports RTE.
Mrs Robinson recalled visiting Somalia during its 1990s famine and witnessing “what it means when you have a severely malnourished child”.
But in Somalia, she noted, those children “were getting exactly the medical aid” they required, reports RTE.
“There are 325,000 severely malnourished children in Gaza today,” she stated, adding: “I don’t know how many of them will die before September,” reports RTE.
She said “there are stockpiles ready to go”, and insisted that “tomorrow they could flood Gaza with necessary food”, reports RTE.
Mrs Robinson emphasized that trade with Israel is “crucial”.
She urged the EU “to implement the commitment under Article 2 of the Israeli-EU trade agreement, and stop the preferential trade” with Israel.
She described the upcoming recognition of Palestine by three G7 nations in September as “really important”, reports RTE.
She also urged the League of Arab States “to step up”.
Asked about the chances of a ceasefire, she replied: “If President Trump would put some of his political energy behind it, it would happen,” reports RTE.
“We know that… he’s the man that can do things fairly instantly,” reports RTE.
Meanwhile, a Hamas representative has said that Israeli troops are making “aggressive” moves into Gaza City, as the military greenlights a new campaign in the region, reports RTE.
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