In a rare and strongly worded statement, Belgian King Philippe denounced what he described as “serious humanitarian abuses” in Gaza during a speech on July 17.

“I add my voice to all those who denounce the serious humanitarian abuses in Gaza, where innocent people are dying of hunger and being killed by bombs while trapped in their enclaves,” the king said during his televised speech from the Royal Palace in Brussels. “The current situation has gone on for far too long. It is a disgrace to all of humanity.”

King Philippe, who holds a ceremonial role as a constitutional monarch, typically refrains from making overtly political statements. His remarks, which were said during a speech days ahead of Belgium National Day marked the first public condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza by the Belgian head of state.

The speech came amid growing international concern over the deplorable scenes of hunger coming from the enclave.

This week, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 111 Palestinians — mostly children, the elderly and the disabled, have died of starvation since October 2023. 

At least 53 of those deaths were recorded by the ministry this week.

The World Food Programme released a statement Thursday that nearly one in three people in Gaza – around 730,000 individuals, are now “not eating for days at a time.”

“We support the call by the United Nations Secretary-General to immediately end this unbearable crisis,” King Philippe said, urging the international community to act.

Earlier this month, the monarch and Queen Mathilde hosted several nongovernmental organizations working in Gaza for a dinner at the palace, according to Belgian newspaper La Libre.

The king's speech came days before two Israeli soldiers were arrested by Belgian authorities at a concert last Friday and Saturday over alleged war crimes in the enclave.