The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights looks critically at Israel and the situation in the Gaza Strip – he is particularly concerned about the food situation.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, sees signs that Israel is using hunger in the Gaza Strip as a method of war. This was a war crime, he said in Geneva. A spokesman for his office said the determination of whether this actually happened would have to be made by the courts.
The United Nations had warned of an imminent famine catastrophe. Around 1.1 million people there are in the worst situation.
“The situation of hunger, starvation and starvation is a consequence of Israel’s extensive restrictions on the import and distribution of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, a consequence of the displacement of most of the population and the destruction of important civilian infrastructure,” Türk said.
“The extent to which Israel continues to restrict the entry of aid into Gaza, as well as the manner in which it continues hostilities, may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which constitutes a war crime.”
Türk: Israel has to supply the population with food
As an occupying power, Israel has a duty to provide the population with food and medical care. “Israel must ensure that the population has access to this aid in a safe and humane manner,” Turk said.
According to the United Nations and international legal experts, Israel is an occupying power because it controls virtually all access and supplies to the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects this because it withdrew militarily from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
Supplies must be expanded urgently and a ceasefire is unavoidable. Türk also called for the release of the hostages kidnapped in the massacre of Palestinian terrorists in Israel on October 7, 2023. The terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas, the massacres and the abduction of hostages into the Gaza Strip were the trigger for the Gaza war.
The Israeli embassy in Geneva accused Türk of having a one-sided view. He blames Israel solely for the situation and absolves the United Nations and Hamas of all responsibility. “Israel is doing everything in its power to flood the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid,” the embassy said. “Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Hamas to be able to keep the hostages, weapons and rockets in order to carry out new acts like those on October 7th.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
