“Water is scarce and fear is pervasive” in Gaza, Mr. Türk informed journalists in Amman, recounting a dialog he had minutes earlier with a colleague in Gaza who had to flee Israeli bombardments along with his household. “His children, aged nine and seven, are asking him questions he does not know how to answer: ‘Why is this happening to us? What did we do?’”
Later on Friday, the UN aid company for Palestine refugees UNRWA, confirmed that greater than 100 of its employees members have been killed because the Israeli bombardment started.
Mr. Türk’s feedback got here amid contemporary studies on Friday morning {that a} yard on the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the place 1000’s of displaced Palestinians had been sheltering, was struck by bombardments.
“Stop the violence, guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers, provide safe access to ensure that humanitarian assistance can be delivered to all those in need, make sure people have enough to eat, clean water to drink and medical care and shelter, free the hostages, serve accountability and bring to justice in line with international humanitarian law the perpetrators of serious violations,” the UN rights chief insisted.
Justice for victims of Hamas assaults
Speaking concerning the massacres perpetrated by Hamas in southern Israel on 7 October, Mr. Türk mentioned that these assaults “should outrage each and every one of us”.
“There needs to be justice, accountability and remedy for the victims of these atrocious crimes”, he insisted.
He known as for the 240 hostages to be introduced again residence and for the “indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel” by Palestinian armed teams to stop.
© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba
A boy collects water in a bombed neighbourhood in Gaza.
Children ‘suffering terribly’
The UN rights chief was wrapping up a five-day go to to the Middle East and spoke of his go to to El Arish Hospital in Rafah, Egypt, the place he noticed younger youngsters who had been significantly injured in Gaza.
“These were the ‘lucky’ children who suffered terribly but are still alive and receiving proper medical treatment”, he mentioned, recalling that in accordance to the enclave’s well being authorities, some 4,400 different youngsters have been killed in Gaza previously month and over 26,000 injured, whereas folks with disabilities had misplaced caregivers and had been stranded beneath the bombs.
Stop ‘agony’ of Gaza civilians
“The complete siege now lasting over one month has made it an agony for residents in Gaza to find basic necessities, and frankly to survive”, Mr. Türk mentioned, insisting that “all forms of collective punishment must come to an end”.
To date, a complete of 821 help vans have been allowed to enter Gaza from Egypt by the Rafah crossing since deliveries resumed on 21 October. Prior to the present disaster, 500 vans a day on common crossed into the enclave.
Call to examine assaults
The UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination workplace OCHA mentioned on Friday that there isn’t any help entry to tons of of 1000’s of people that stay in northern Gaza. That dire evaluation echoed earlier feedback by the UN rights chief who described how the “extensive Israeli bombardment of Gaza, including the use of high and of high impact explosive weapons in densely populated areas”, had razed “tens of thousands of buildings to the ground”.
“Israel must immediately end the use of such methods and means of warfare, and the attacks must be investigated,” he mentioned.
‘Nowhere is safe’
The UN rights chief reiterated that whereas civilians ought to be protected beneath worldwide regulation “wherever they are”, proper now “nowhere in Gaza is safe” and Israeli Defense Forces-designated safe-zones increase questions over actual safety ensures.
On Thursday, reacting to an announcement by the United States introduced that Israel had agreed to halt army operations in northern Gaza to permit every day four-hour humanitarian pauses, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric mentioned that any plans for short-term pauses within the preventing in Gaza should be carried out in coordination with the UN and following settlement by all sides.
Over 100 UN staffers killed in Gaza
More than 100 staffers from the UN’s Palestine refugee company UNRWA have been killed in only a month, the company’s head Philippe Lazzarini confirmed on Friday morning in a tweet.
“Parents, teachers, nurses and doctors, support staff. UNRWA is mourning, Palestinians are mourning, Israelis mourning. Ending this tragedy needs a humanitarian ceasefire now”, he wrote.
Respect legal guidelines of war
Speaking to the “particularly intense” strikes on hospitals and within the neighborhood of hospitals in Gaza City, Mr. Türk harassed that worldwide humanitarian regulation extends particular safety to medical items and requires that they be protected and revered always.
“Any use by Palestinian armed groups of civilians and civilian objects to shield themselves from attack is in contravention of the laws of war. But such conduct by Palestinian armed groups does not absolve Israel of its obligation to ensure that civilians are spared – that the principles of distinction, precautions in attack and proportionality are respected,” he mentioned.
The UN rights chief additionally mentioned that it was “extremely distressing” to see what is going on to UN employees in Gaza – the lack of life amongst UNRWA colleagues “is unprecedented”.
Mr. Türk called “unacceptable” the fact that in UNRWA-run schools over 600 people displaced people seeking shelter have been killed. “There is a principle of inviolability of UN premises,” he insisted.
West Bank: ‘end the cycle of violence’
Turning to the occupied West Bank, Mr. Türk called on the Israeli authorities to ensure protection of Palestinians there as they face daily “violence from Israeli forces and settlers, ill treatment, arrests, evictions, intimidation and humiliation”.
About 200 Palestinians had already been killed in the West Bank before 7 October and a further 176 have been killed since then, Mr. Türk said. Settler violence was destroying lives and livelihoods and fuelling displacement amid continued impunity.
Mr. Türk urged the Israeli authorities to implement the recommendations of his Office’s “numerous human rights reports on the Occupied Palestinian Territory” issued throughout the years and heed calls for “meaningful investigations and accountability to end this cycle of violence and vengeance against entire communities”.
“Where national authorities prove unwilling or unable to carry out such investigations, and where there are contested narratives on particularly significant incidents, there needs to be independent, international investigation,” he said.
Step up
High Commissioner Türk, who has not as but been granted entry to Israel and to the Occupied Palestinian Territory as a part of his go to to the area, mentioned that he had spoken over the cellphone with human rights defenders from each side.
Palestinian human rights defenders “emphasized the failures by the international community to step up to their obligation to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, and to use their influence to halt the unconscionable suffering of civilians in the midst of this madness,” he mentioned.
The UN rights chief strongly urged the worldwide neighborhood to stand up to its obligations, stressing the necessity to apply common requirements “in each and every situation around the world”.
“Member States with influence need to work harder than ever to bring the parties to a ceasefire, without further delay,” he mentioned.
