Switzerland: United Nations experts have demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, noting that time was running out for the Palestinian people, who are at “grave risk of genocide”.
According to reports, the continuing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retaliation for attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on October 7 has killed more than 9,000 people.
“We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide. We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most,” the group of experts, made up of seven UN special rapporteurs, said in a statement.
The experts have also expressed “deepening horror” about Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza that have killed and injured hundreds of Palestinians and have called this “a brazen breach of international law.”
The experts further shared concerns about the safety of UN and humanitarian workers, hospitals and schools that are providing refuge to the people of Gaza, and the safety of journalists, media workers, and their family members.
The Israeli mission to the UN in Geneva commented that it was preparing a response to the experts’ remarks.
Recently, departing senior UN human rights official Mr. Craig Mokhiber wrote to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Turk, stating that “we are seeing a genocide unfold before our eyes, and the organization that we serve appears powerless to stop it.”
“The situation in Gaza has reached a catastrophic tipping point,” the UN experts noted, adding that Gazans have been left with scarce water, medicine, fuel, and essential supplies while facing health hazards.
“We call on Israel and its allies to agree to an immediate ceasefire. We are running out of time,” the experts noted. The statement further pointed to Israel’s allies, whom they said “bear responsibility and must act now to prevent its disastrous course of action.”
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