The UN Human Rights Chief has issued a fervent appeal to Israel, demanding an immediate halt to its ground assault on Gaza City, which commenced on Tuesday. He warned of accumulating evidence pointing towards war crimes, crimes against humanity, and potentially even more severe transgressions.
“I can only imagine the devastating impact this renewed offensive has on women, malnourished children, and individuals with disabilities, if they are again attacked in this way. The only acceptable response to this tragedy is to stop the carnage,” High Commissioner Volker Turk stated to reporters in Geneva.
He further emphasized the universal longing for peace: “Both Palestinians and Israelis are crying out for peace. Everyone desires an end to this, yet we are witnessing a relentless escalation that is utterly unacceptable.”
Turk unequivocally declared, “I call on Israel to cease its indiscriminate destruction of Gaza.”
Earlier on the same Tuesday, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry released a report concluding that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. The report specifically cited top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for inciting these actions – claims that Israel vehemently dismissed as scandalous, distorted, and false.
While Mr. Turk himself has refrained from using the term “genocide” publicly, he is facing considerable pressure to do so. When pressed on whether he would consider applying the term to Israel’s actions in Gaza, Mr. Turk responded, “We are observing a relentless accumulation of war crime after war crime, and crimes against humanity, with the potential for even more grave offenses. Ultimately, it is for a court to determine if it constitutes genocide, but the evidence continues to mount.”