United Nations experts have called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying time was running out for the Palestinian people who are at “grave risk of genocide”.
Nearly four weeks of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retaliation for attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on October 7 have killed more than 9,000 people, health authorities say, a majority of them women and children.
“We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” the group of experts, made up of seven UN special rapporteurs, said on Thursday in a statement. “We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most.”
The experts have also expressed “deepening horror” about Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza since Tuesday night – strikes that have reportedly killed and injured hundreds of Palestinians – and have called this a brazen breach of international law.
They said they were concerned 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 said it was preparing a response to the experts’ remarks.
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