United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, articulated her profound concern over Gaza during the 56th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
She said, criticizing the U.S. resolution to ban the use of Gaza death toll, “When a population faces systematic extermination, what other term than genocide can adequately describe it?”
Mofokeng’s remarks, underscored the dire conditions in Gaza, emphasizing the stark realities of survival amidst acute shortages of essential provisions. She cast lights on the scarcity of basic necessities such as food, potable water, and secure housing, which have amplifyed the plight faced by Gazans during the current Israel’s war.
Highlighting the severe psychological toll inflicted by persistent Israeli airstrikes, Mofokeng pointed out the widespread trauma gripping the population. She stressed the reliance on reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and humanitarian agencies for updates on the status of healthcare facilities in Gaza, underscoring the critical humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.
“When they (hospitals) cannot get supplies and essential medicines, and when healthcare workers themselves are being killed and harassed, it makes the attacks on the right to health even more prominent,” she stated.
The rapporteur stressed that there is still no estimate regarding how long it will take to rebuild Gaza’s health infrastructure
Mofokeng asserted the importance of a global discussion on recognising the events in Gaza as “genocide” and holding the perpetrators accountable in international courts.
Her remarks came after U.S house representatives voted on resolution to bar international budget funds to cite Gaza death toll.
Observes deemed this resolution as a step to hide and silence discussions about the impacts of Israel’s devastating war.
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib slammed the vote as “Genocide denial, saying “There is so much anti-Palestinian racism in this chamber that my colleagues don’t even want to acknowledge that Palestinians exist at all. Not when they’re alive, and now, not even when they’re dead. It’s absolutely disgusting. This is genocide denial.”
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