JERUSALEM, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Presidents of five leading universities in Israel on Monday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a letter to take action to solve the hunger crisis in Gaza.
The letter was signed by the presidents of Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Israel Institute of Technology, and the Open University of Israel.
The five called on Netanyahu to instruct the Israeli army and other security forces to "increase their efforts, regardless of the heavy responsibility of Hamas and other factors, to solve the terrible hunger problem that is prevailing in Gaza, which is seriously affecting innocent people, including children and babies."
"Releasing the hostages and minimizing harm to our soldiers are paramount goals, but as a nation that was a victim of the terrible Holocaust in Europe, we also have a special duty to act with all means at our disposal to prevent and refrain from cruel and indiscriminate harm to innocent men, women, and children," they said.
The presidents noted that they were appalled by statements by Israeli ministers and parliament members that "encourage the deliberate destruction of the Gaza Strip, and the displacement of the civilians from it."
"This is a clearly immoral call to carry out acts that, in the opinion of senior jurists in Israel and worldwide, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity."
Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch wrote to the presidents in response, slamming them as siding with Hamas.
"Instead of accusing Hamas, which holds hostages, commits war crimes, uses the civilian population as human shields, and robs humanitarian aid, you have chosen to join an orchestrated propaganda campaign that Hamas is spreading," Kisch said.
In a statement released Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again claimed there is no starvation in Gaza, nor is there an Israeli policy to starve Gazans, adding that Israel will continue to fight "till we achieve the release of our hostages and the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities."
Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened on Monday that if Hamas does not release the remaining Israeli hostages, "the gates of hell will open in Gaza."
Regarding the Gaza humanitarian aid issue, Katz said that "from time to time, leadership must decide what to allow and what to withhold to maneuver and achieve its main objectives." ■
