DayofPal- The UN human rights chief warned on Friday, October 25, that the “darkest moment” of the Gaza conflict was unfolding in the territory’s north, and that Israel’s actions could amount to “atrocity crimes.”
In his statement, Volker Türk emphasized how urgent the situation is and warned that “today the darkest moment of the Gaza conflict is unfolding in the north of the Strip, where the Israeli military is effectively subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege, and risk of starvation.” “The bombing in North Gaza is non-stop,” he said. At the same time, “the Israeli military has ordered hundreds of thousands to move, with no guarantees of return. But there is no safe way to leave,” he warned.
He said countries around the world—all of them parties to the Geneva conventions—had to act now to ensure respect for international humanitarian law.
“Under the Geneva Conventions, states have an obligation to act when a serious violation of international humanitarian law has been committed,” Türk said. “Under the Genocide Convention, state parties also have the responsibility to act to prevent such a crime when risk becomes apparent.”
“To all the world’s leaders, I remind you of your responsibility to ensure respect for international humanitarian law as set out in the Geneva Conventions. These are universally accepted and binding norms developed to preserve the very bare minimum of humanity. I implore you to put the protection of civilians and human rights first and not to abandon that minimum of humanity,” the UN rights chief concluded his statement.
“Unimaginably, the situation is getting worse by the day. The Israeli government’s policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians. We are facing what could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity.”
“There is extremely limited access to this part of Gaza,” the high commissioner said. “Next to no aid has reached the area in weeks, with unlawful restrictions remaining, and many are now facing starvation.”
“The Israeli military is striking hospitals, and staff and patients have been killed and injured or forced to evacuate simultaneously. Shelters, once schools, are struck daily. Communication with the outside world remains extremely limited. Journalists continue to be killed.”
Volker Türk stated that over 150,000 people are already dead, injured, or missing in Gaza. “My gravest fear is, given the intensity, breadth, scale, and blatant nature of the Israeli operation currently underway in north Gaza, that number will rise dramatically.”
Since the beginning of the war, more than 42,847 Palestinians have been killed and 100,544 injured, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Over 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza, with many people being displaced multiple times. In Gaza, hospitals and other health facilities have been constantly under attack, leaving many not functioning. Food, water, and medicines are scarce. People are trying to survive in extremely dire circumstances.
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