The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated this Tuesday his call to end the violence in the occupied West Bank, where the murder of more than 500 Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli army beginning on October 7, when Hamas attacked southern Israel.
In a statement, Volker Türk said that the massacres, destruction and widespread violations of human rights “are unacceptable and must cease immediately”.
“Israel must not only adopt, but must comply with rules of engagement strictly adhered to human rights norms and standards,” he pointed out.
Türk regretted that Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank are also being subjected day after day to unprecedented bloodshed“as if the tragic events that occurred in Israel and then in Gaza over the last eight months were not enough.”
Rampant slaughter
“It’s incomprehensible “That so many lives have been taken in such a wanton manner,” he declared.
The High Commissioner noted that so far This year, Israeli forces have killed nearly 200 Palestinians.
He explained that despite the absence of armed hostilities in the West Bank, the Israeli army has carried out at least 29 operations that included airstrikes with drones or aircraft and missile fire ground-to-ground against refugee camps and other densely populated areas.
During these operations 164 Palestinians died, 35 children among themhe specified, highlighting the high incidence of Palestinian victims shot in the upper part of the body and who were denied medical assistance.
This suggests “an intent to kill in violation of the right to life, rather than a gradual application of force and an attempt to deescalate tense situations… in cases where the shooting clearly did not pose an imminent threat.” to life,” Türk stressed, adding that “any allegation of unlawful killing must be thoroughly and independently investigated, and Those responsible must be held accountable.”
More than a million Palestinians have had to flee Rafah in the last three weeks due to Israeli bombings.
Heartbreaking situation in Gaza
Meanwhile, in Gaza “the scenes of destruction and suffering of the population are heartbreaking“said the UN coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process after visiting that besieged Palestinian territory.
In a series of posts on X, Tor Wennesland highlighted the Devastating impact of war and despair of Gazanswho cannot find a safe place and survive in unimaginable conditions while Israel continues its air and ground offensive throughout Gaza.
“It is clear that Urgent action is needed to alleviate the humanitarian crisis that the Gaza Strip faces,” he emphasized.
Wennesland was at al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis and met with local officials to discuss ways to meet the immediate needs of the population.
“What I saw in Gaza is a stark reminder of the human cost of conflict”, he said, and spoke in favor of the warring parties accepting the US ceasefire proposal, which includes the release of the Israeli hostages.
The envoy considered that there is no alternative to an immediate ceasefire and warned that delays cost more lives every day.
Fuel urgency
Wennesland’s is one more voice in the international clamor for a ceasefire that allows vital assistance to enter Gaza; However the humanitarian space continues to shrink.
The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) stressed the urgency for fuel to enter to the Gaza Strip so that the desalination plants can operate and supply water to the population. “People need water to live; “The Israeli authorities must give them access to it now,” the organization said.
In the almost complete absence of fuel in the Gaza Strip, desalination plants have closed and people do not have enough water. “Survival is a fight. Families and children travel long distances in the heat to find water,” UNRWA reported.
Families in Gaza are facing an unprecedented health emergency amid war and lack of access to clean water, food and other basic goods and services.
Attacks on hospitals
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the intensification of hostilities in Rafah, which has included attacks on health care, caused the closure of the three most important hospitals in that city.
A single field hospital remains partially operational, but is inaccessible due to violence in the surrounding area and can only provide basic services to patients already there.
“Due to the siege and hostilities taking place nearby, it is increasingly difficult to reach the UAE field hospital in the city of Rafah,” the WHO reported. calling once again to protect healthcare, allow unrestricted access for humanitarian aid and declare a ceasefire in Gaza.
The health agency stressed the need to restore the Rafah hospitals, which have lost their capacity to provide health services to the population due to the lack of safe access and a sustained flow of medical supplies to and through Gaza.
More than half of the structures in Gaza are destroyed or damaged
Regarding the conditions of Gaza’s infrastructure, the UN Satellite Center (ONUSAT) indicated that half of the buildings in the Gaza Strip, most of them homeshave been damaged or destroyed during the almost eight months that the war has lasted.
Satellite information revealed that 137,297 structures, or 55% of the structures in Gaza, were affected until May 3, when images were taken for an analysis that identified 36,591 structures destroyed, 16,513 severely damaged, 47,368 moderately damaged, and 36,825 potentially damaged.
The UN said that the governorates of Deir Al-Balah and Gaza recorded the largest increase in damage since April 2024, with 2,613 new structures damaged in Deir Al-Balah.
In this sense, UNRWA ensured that buildings and infrastructure they are in ruins and that families are seeking shelter anywhere, including severely damaged UNRWA facilities.
