Gaza’s Humanitarian Collapse: Haidari Calls for Ceasefire, Aid Access, and a Two-State Peace
By Staff Writer
Washington, D.C. – In an interview with AMU TV on September 19, 2025, Ambassador Ashraf Haidari, Founder and President of Displaced International (DI), described Gaza’s humanitarian situation as one of the world’s most urgent crises. He underscored that the combination of war, famine, and collapsed institutions has created conditions of extreme civilian suffering and called on the international community to act decisively.
Haidari noted that around 65,000 people have lost their lives since the conflict began, the vast majority of them women, children, and youth. With hospitals, morgues, and communications crippled, the real toll is likely higher. According to UN figures, more than 250,000 people fled Gaza City in the past month alone, adding to mass displacement across the territory.
The most alarming development, he stressed, is the confirmation of famine. A UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis declared famine in parts of Gaza in August, projecting that by the end of September over 640,000 people would face IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) food insecurity, with more than a million others at IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). UNICEF has reported that acute malnutrition in children under five quadrupled in just two months, reaching 16.5 percent, while the World Health Organization (WHO) documented dozens of malnutrition-related deaths this year, most of them in July. Haidari emphasized that restrictions on aid access are directly worsening the crisis, leaving families with no safe food supply.
He further highlighted the collapse of Gaza’s health system. According to field reports, hospitals that remain operational are overwhelmed, with shortages of oxygen, antibiotics, fuel, and surgical supplies. Facilities have been forced to suspend operations, treat patients in corridors, and ration critical care. Many civilians remain unable to access surgery at home or abroad because medical evacuations cannot proceed under current conditions.
Haidari also drew attention to the September 2025 findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which concluded that the cumulative impact of prolonged hostilities, restrictions on humanitarian access, and destruction of essential services has created life-threatening conditions for Gaza’s entire population. The Commission found that widespread civilian casualties, starvation, and denial of health care amount to grave breaches of international law. Haidari stressed that such authoritative findings reinforce the urgency of international action by states, regional organizations, and the United Nations system.
Despite repeated expressions of concern from world leaders, Haidari warned that tangible steps to halt the deterioration remain absent. He argued that the crisis illustrates how the plight of civilians in protracted conflicts often receives insufficient priority on the agendas of major powers — a neglect comparable, in his view, to Afghanistan’s experience of prolonged instability.
At the same time, Haidari offered constructive proposals. He urged major powers, regional states, and international institutions to press urgently for a verifiable ceasefire that would allow safe delivery of humanitarian aid. He recommended opening humanitarian corridors by land, sea, or air, and called for neutral monitoring missions to oversee aid distribution, prevent diversion, and ensure civilian safety. He also stressed the need for a coordinated medical surge, including rehabilitation of damaged hospitals, deployment of mobile health units, and rapid approval of medical evacuations.
Looking beyond relief, Haidari highlighted the importance of linking emergency measures to a broader political horizon. He reaffirmed that humanitarian aid without prospects for durable peace risks becoming cyclical, as violence and deprivation recur. As part of this, he reaffirmed support for a negotiated two-state solution, describing it as a “win-win” for all sides and for the international community, capable of ensuring dignity, security, and stability. He called on global and regional powers to redouble efforts to support this outcome, noting that a just and sustainable peace would not only end repeated cycles of suffering in Gaza but also contribute to wider regional stability.
Haidari concluded by framing Gaza’s plight as a test of the international system’s credibility. Allowing famine, disease, and institutional collapse to continue unchecked, he warned, undermines international norms and risks fueling broader instability. “Concern alone cannot feed the hungry or heal the wounded,” he said. “What is needed now is urgent, collective action — relief that saves lives today, and diplomacy that secures lives for tomorrow, through the vision of a two-state peace.”
