Dear friends,

Famine has now been officially declared in Gaza. This is the conclusion of the IPC, a UN-backed initiative, which reports that over half a million people in Gaza are currently facing starvation, destitution and death.

The Israel-Palestine conflict has been a core priority for the Elders since our founding in 2007. We have spoken out consistently and with urgency, especially since the horrific attacks of 7 October 2023 and the disproportionate response by the Israeli government that has followed.

But we have reached a point where words alone are no longer enough. I wanted to go directly to Gaza, but this was not possible. Instead, Helen Clark and I travelled to Egypt, as close as we could get to understand the situation on the ground.

Given the level of suffering we know to exist on the other side, one would expect the Rafah crossing to be bustling with aid deliveries. But that was not the case. We saw lorries attempting to cross, full of food and medical supplies, only to be turned away by Israeli authorities with no plausible explanation.

We spoke to one driver who had been rejected from crossing into Gaza twice that day and saw for ourselves the stockpiles of vital supplies in warehouses close by – tents, generators, oxygen tanks, medicine, wheelchairs, crutches – all ready to be delivered.

We met with UN aid agencies, the Red Crescent and Egyptian government officials, who have been working tirelessly and with great urgency to get as much of this aid as possible into Gaza. Yet these efforts have been largely in vain, blocked by Israeli authorities – leaving parents in Gaza unable to feed themselves or their children, and many injured undergoing operations without anaesthesia.

What we heard and witnessed left no doubt: this obstruction of aid is a deliberate policy of the Israeli government. This is not the chaos of war, nor the result of an environmental disaster. It is intentional – and it is driving what I believe is an unfolding genocide.

Stopping aid so deliberately and reducing a population through starvation and a lack of medical care, is not only morally wrong but also illegal under international law. Israel must open all border crossings into Gaza, including at Rafah, immediately. If it does not, it should face sanctions.

As Gaza now faces a renewed Israeli offensive, with its military planning to take control of Gaza City and push its residents to the south, this situation will only worsen for civilians at a catastrophic pace. We need foreign leaders and partners of Israel to take decisive action.

We can see that the tide is changing. More countries are waking up to the reality of what is happening in Gaza. The world sees Israel’s plans to proceed with settlements that are overtly designed to extinguish hopes of a Palestinian state.  Israel is becoming increasingly isolated on the global stage. Three G7 countries – Canada, France and the UK – have announced their intention to recognise the State of Palestine this month.

Yet as states gather for UN General Assembly High-level Week, the Trump administration seems determined to close off avenues for diplomacy by withholding visas for Palestinian officials to attend, breaking its agreement with the UN as host of the headquarters. The Elders have always insisted that dialogue and diplomacy are the only ways to move towards a just resolution of this conflict. 

In 1988, when the Reagan administration enacted a similar move, the UN hosted the relevant session in Geneva. It resulted in significant progress, with Yasser Arafat recognising Israel’s right to exist for the first time. It represented a crucial step by the PLO toward diplomacy and away from armed struggle.

The Elders always join discussions in New York for High-level Week. If the essential conversation on a sustainable settlement of the Israel-Palestine conference moves to Geneva again this year, we will be there.

Thank you for your continued support,

Mary Robinson