ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Speaker of Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR RI), Puan Maharani, has sent an official letter to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, United States.
The letter calls on the UN to take immediate and decisive action to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, which continues to worsen due to the blockade and military assaults by Israel.
In her letter, titled “Urgent Call for Immediate Action to End the Humanitarian Catastrophe in the Gaza Strip”, Puan stressed that the current situation in Gaza has reached an unprecedented emergency level.
“Hundreds of thousands of families, especially children, are facing acute hunger due to the ongoing siege and mass bombings by Israel. Life in Gaza has been completely destroyed,” Puan wrote, as quoted on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
Gaza Classified as IPC Phase 5 – Famine
Puan cited the latest reports from UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which classify Gaza’s food security situation at Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 5, the famine level.
More than 1.1 million people are suffering from severe food insecurity, including 500,000 children facing acute malnutrition. In northern Gaza, infants have reportedly died due to the lack of infant formula. Over 70% of farmland, markets, and food stores have been destroyed, while access to staple food and medical supplies has been severely restricted for months.
“This is no longer merely a food crisis — it is a deliberate famine used as a weapon of war,” the Indonesian political leader asserted.
Violation of International Humanitarian Law
Puan stressed that deliberately denying civilians access to food and medical aid constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
“Such actions could amount to the destruction, in whole or in part, of a national, ethnic, or religious group if carried out with the intent to physically annihilate them,” she said.
Six Urgent Demands to the UN Secretary-General
In her letter, Puan outlined six urgent steps the UN should take:
1. Officially declare famine status in Gaza in accordance with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
2. Urge the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session to prevent the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
3. Invoke Chapter VII of the UN Charter if obstacles to humanitarian aid persist, as the situation poses a threat to international peace and security.
4. Guarantee full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Gaza via UN-supervised humanitarian corridors.
5. Mobilize emergency humanitarian funding to ensure the provision of food, medicine, and safe drinking water to the people of Gaza.
6. Restore and facilitate humanitarian assistance through UNRWA and other neutral, impartial humanitarian organizations.
A Moral Appeal to the International Community
Puan emphasized that the United Nations carries both a moral and legal mandate to protect vulnerable civilians.
“We cannot remain silent while such atrocities unfold before our eyes. The UN was founded not only to maintain peace but also to shield defenseless civilians from oppression,” she said.
As the granddaughter of Indonesia’s founding father, Sukarno, Puan reaffirmed her full support for Antonio Guterres’ leadership in urgently addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. (AT Network)
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