Geneva (UNA/WAFA) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the world to act to prevent a “complete collapse of vital life-saving support in Gaza,” as Israeli airstrikes continue to kill civilians, including in shelters and health facilities.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Türk stressed the need for concerted international efforts "to prevent this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching an unprecedented level," as the comprehensive aid blockade enters its ninth week.
With the remaining food stocks in the Strip rapidly depleting, the High Commissioner warned that “any use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare constitutes a war crime, as do all forms of collective punishment,” citing reports of an Israeli plan to declare Rafah Governorate a new “humanitarian zone.”
“Such a plan would almost certainly mean forcing large parts of Gaza and people unable to move easily—including the disabled, the sick, the wounded, and women who support entire families—to go without food,” he said.
The High Commissioner reiterated that the cumulative impact of the conduct of Israeli forces in Gaza raises serious concerns that “Israel appears to be imposing on Palestinians in Gaza living conditions that are increasingly incompatible with their continued presence as a group in Gaza.”
He said: "Other states have clear obligations under international law to ensure that this behavior ceases immediately and must act accordingly. They must also search for and bring to justice all perpetrators of crimes under international law, whoever their perpetrators may be."
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