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Rabat – In a statement on Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned the resumption of hostilities in Gaza, labeling the situation as catastrophic and calling for urgent intervention to secure a ceasefire on both humanitarian and human rights grounds.
“Recent comments by Israeli political and military leaders, hinting at an expansion and intensification of the military offensive, are very troubling,” Türk said.
The toll of the Israeli aggression on Gaza has been devastating, with more than 15,000 Palestinians having lost their lives since October 7, including about 6,150 children and 4,000 women.
As the violence escalates, there is a growing fear that more innocent lives will be lost, and countless others may be forcibly displaced to already overcrowded and unsanitary areas within Gaza.
In his statement, the UN High Commissioner emphasized that the situation has surpassed the crisis point, invoking international humanitarian law that obliges Israel, as the occupying power, to ensure the basic needs of the Gazan population are met.
“The way forward must be through an immediate end to the violence,” Türk asserted, outlining a comprehensive approach that includes the prompt and unconditional release of hostages, cessation of indiscriminate rocket firing, and the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.
Read also: UNRWA Chief Urges Global Action Amid Gaza’s Desperation
James Elder, UNICEF Spokesperson, also posted on Friday morning a video on X (formerly Twitter), describing the catastrophic situation in Gaza a few hours after the end of the humanitarian truce.
“We can’t see any more children with the wounds of war, with burns,” he stated, lamenting: “The inaction of those with influence allows the murder of children. This is a war against children.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 1.8 million people have been displaced within the Gaza Strip, i.e. almost 80% of the population.
