UN rights chief condemns “unconscionable death and suffering” in Gaza

In his opening address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterated serious concerns raised by his Office that war crimes have been committed by all sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“There has been unconscionable death and suffering,” the UN rights chief told Member States, as he highlighted the widespread destruction caused by more than eight months of fighting.

“More than 120,000 people in Gaza, overwhelmingly women and children, have been killed or injured since 7 October, as a result of the intensive Israeli offensives,” he said.

Türk noted that since Israeli forces escalated their operations into Rafah in early May, almost one million Palestinians have been uprooted “yet again”, while aid deliveries have been lessened, further impacting humanitarian access.

The UN rights chief echoed concerns raised by UN humanitarians who described how thousands of families sheltering in Deir A-Balah live in overcrowded conditions lacking sanitation, with access to just 0.7 litres of water per person, per day.

“The arbitrary denial and obstruction of humanitarian aid have continued, and Israel continues to detain arbitrarily thousands of Palestinians. This must end,” He said.

He described the humanitarian emergency in the occupied West Bank as “dramatically deteriorating” amid rising attacks against Palestinians and the targeting of Israeli soldiers.

“As of 15 June, 528 Palestinians, 133 of them children, had been killed by Israeli security forces and/or settlers since October, in many cases raising serious concerns of unlawful killings,” the UN rights chief said.

“In the same period, 23 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel in clashes with or attacks by Palestinians, including eight members of Israeli security forces.”

When speaking on the link between Lebanon and Israel to the Gaza conflict, the UN rights chief expressed deep concern over the possibility of a “full-scale war” occuring.

Continuing rocket attacks and exchange of fire across the shared border have killed 401 people in Lebanon, Türk said, while more than 90,000 people have been displaced.

In Israel, around 60,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and 25 Israelis have been killed.

“Thousands of buildings have been destroyed. I reiterate my call for a cessation of hostilities and for actors with influence to take all possible measures to avert a full-scale war,” the High Commissioner said.

The number of civilian deaths in armed conflict last year rose by 72%, according to data gathered by Türk’s Office in an assessment of the impact of war around the world.

The data also showed that the proportion of women killed in 2023 doubled and that of children tripled, compared to 2023.

“Killings and injuries of civilians have become a daily occurrence,” Türk said. “Destruction of vital infrastructure is a daily occurrence. Devastating and reckless. Children shot at. Hospitals bombed. Heavy artillery launched on entire communities.

“All along with hateful, divisive, and dehumanising rhetoric.”

The High Commissioner's address on the current state of the Israel-Gaza conflict today comes shortly after Hamas accepted a UN security council ceasefire resolution on Tuesday 11 last week.