Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has launched a major international campaign urging world leaders and organisations to intervene immediately and stop what he described as the “deliberate starvation” of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, APP reports.

In letters sent to global leaders and international bodies, Abbas warned that Israel’s ongoing blockade and military actions in Gaza amount to war crimes, including genocide, destruction and the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

He accused Israel of tightening pressure on Palestinians and working to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Abbas called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the release of all hostages and detainees, and the urgent entry of food and medical aid into Gaza. He demanded the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, and emphasised the need for a political process under international oversight that would lead to a comprehensive peace based on UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

“The most urgent matter now is to stop the genocide in Gaza,” Abbas stated. “People are being killed in front of aid centres. Children, women, and the elderly are dying from hunger. This cannot be ignored. We need immediate global pressure on Israel to allow the entry of food and medicine.”