Geneva: The State of Qatar has strongly condemned the systematic and deliberate destruction of the food system in the Gaza Strip by Israeli occupation forces, highlighting the use of blockade and starvation policies as weapons in a broader conflict against the Palestinians.

According to Qatar News Agency, the State of Qatar called on the international community to take all necessary actions to protect the Palestinian people and ensure accountability for those responsible for crimes and violations against them. This statement was delivered by Hessa Essa Rashid Al Khater, third consular affairs researcher at the Department of Arab Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to food at the fifty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Al Khater pointed out that several challenges hinder the enjoyment of the right to food, including famine, malnutrition, environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity, and climate change. She also noted the volatility of food prices exacerbated by conflicts or crises, negatively impacting the realization of this right.

She further highlighted Qatar's effort in hosting the International Conference on Food Justice from a Human Rights Perspective last year, resulting in the Doha Declaration on Food Justice. The declaration urged the establishment of just, healthy, and sustainable food systems that prioritize human dignity, protect the vulnerable, support ecological agriculture, and create fair markets that do not prioritize growth and profit over human rights.