Iraq condemns Israeli blockade of Gaza as ‘brutal siege,’ urges international intervention

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government on Wednesday condemned what it described as the “ongoing brutal siege” imposed by Israeli forces on Gaza, calling it a “grave violation of human dignity” and urging the international community to intervene to end the blockade and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

“The heartbreaking scenes of starving children standing in lines for a morsel of food, and images of women and men crowding around the few available aid trucks, now turned into death traps by the occupation forces, reflect horrifying and immoral practices,” government spokesman Basim Alawadi said in an official statement.

The statement comes as humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate. Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel — which killed around 1,200 people and triggered the current war — Israel has launched a sustained military campaign across the Gaza Strip.

Gaza health authorities report that more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 123,000 injured since the conflict began. In March 2025, Israel imposed a total closure of Gaza, halting all aid and commercial shipments. Humanitarian organizations have since warned of famine, the spread of disease, and the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system due to shortages of fuel, medicine, and food.

Official statement from Alawadi:

The Iraqi government expresses its condemnation and strong denunciation of the ongoing brutal siege imposed by the occupation forces on the people of Gaza. This inhumane and systematic policy of starving our afflicted Palestinian brothers and sisters is a grave violation of human dignity.

The heartbreaking scenes of starving children standing in lines for a morsel of food, and images of women and men crowding around the few available aid trucks, now turned into death traps by the occupation forces, reflect horrifying and immoral practices that demand urgent international intervention to lift the siege and allow relief supplies to reach those in need.

Major powers, international organizations, and institutions now face a true test of their commitment to upholding the rule of law, sustaining peace, and defending human rights and dignity. In this context, the Iraqi government calls for an immediate end to the starvation policy against the people of Gaza and urges all concerned parties to pressure the Zionist entity’s leadership to urgently allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.