Geneva – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned Israel’s ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday as “utterly unacceptable,” calling for an immediate end to the “carnage” and warning of mounting evidence that could point to genocide in the Palestinian territory.
“It is absolutely clear that this carnage must stop,” Turk told AFP and Reuters, describing the escalation as deeply alarming. “The whole world screams for peace. Palestinians, Israelis scream for peace. Everyone wants an end to this, and what we see is a further escalation which is totally and utterly unacceptable.”
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Turk highlighted that recent attacks have intensified in the northwestern parts of Gaza, where civilians had sought refuge from earlier strikes. He specifically decried the ongoing bombardment of residential buildings, many of which had served as shelters for people displaced multiple times.
“The people of Gaza cannot sustain yet another intensification of violence, destruction, killings, and lack of humanitarian assistance,” Turk said. “I can only think of what it means for women, malnourished children, and people with disabilities if they are again attacked in this way.”
While the Israeli military has repeatedly stated that it is targeting “terrorist infrastructure,” Turk said there has been no evidence provided to support this claim. “Under the rules of war, an attack may never be targeted at civilians who are not taking part in hostilities,” he stressed.
Turk’s comments follow a UN investigative report concluding that Israel may be committing genocide in its ongoing campaign in Gaza, launched after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. “We see the piling up of war crime after war crime, crimes against humanity, and potentially even more,” he said. “It is for the court to decide whether it is genocide or not, but we see the evidence mounting.”
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