WATCH: Obama compares Israel to Hamas – ‘Starving millions’

Obama added he does not want to be misquoted and said he was not drawing moral equivalency, but the words are clear in themselves.

By Yair Kleinbaum, JFeed

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has called for urgent international action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that famine is “preventable” and that food and water must not be withheld from innocent civilians.

Obama stressed the moral responsibility of global leaders, declaring:

“Those who carried out October 7th had something in their minds that said, ‘These families, women, and children that we are going to slaughter in cold blood are less than us. We are justified in perpetrating brutality, and those who are now saying we are going to withhold food, medicine, and shelter from millions of people as a consequence of those awful events. That’s also dehumanizing the people in Gaza who are suffering right now.”

Obama added he does not want to be misquoted and said he was not drawing moral equivalency, but the words are clear in themselves.

Amid rising international pressure, the Israeli military announced a 10-hour daily “tactical pause” in fighting across three populated areas of Gaza earlier today.

The pause, running from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily until further notice, is intended to increase humanitarian aid deliveries. It comes against the backdrop of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza, which has drawn mounting criticism over its toll.