UN rights chief urges world leaders to ‘wake up' to Gaza catastrophe

dpa
Geneva
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has issued an urgent appeal to governments worldwide to take action in light of the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
'Everyone in government needs to wake up to what is happening in Gaza. All those with influence must exert maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas, to put an end to this unbearable suffering,' Türk said on Monday at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva.
He said that a lasting peace is only possible through a two-state solution, with Gaza forming part of a future Palestinian state.
His comments came as medical sources said at least 51 Palestinians have been killed since dawn across Gaza on Monday, including 36 seeking aid for their hungry families at distribution points, mostly in the Rafah area in the south.
After 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 kidnapped in unprecedented attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas in October 2023, Israel responded with a devastating bombardment of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 people according to Palestinian figures, and turning much of the area to rubble.
Türk delivered sharp criticism of Israel's military campaign against Hamas, saying its 'means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians.'
He condemned what he described as 'disturbing, dehumanizing rhetoric' by Israeli officials and criticized the ongoing blockade of UN humanitarian aid deliveries, which has been in place since March, leading to a disastrous humanitarian situation.
He also called for an investigation into deaths linked to food distribution efforts coordinated through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial initiative backed by Israel and the United States. Civilians are often forced to walk miles through active conflict zones to reach the limited number of GHF aid centres.
Dozens have been killed in the process.
Israel and US reject UN Human
Rights Council
Israel, following the lead of the United States, has withdrawn from participation in the Human Rights Council, accusing both the Geneva-based body and Türk's office of systemic bias.
President Donald Trump, upon returning to the White House, signed an executive order that cut US ties with UN bodies, including the rights council.
The order said the council 'has protected human rights abusers by allowing them to use the organization to shield themselves from scrutiny.' Israel then announced it was boycotting the council, with the foreign minister saying it 'obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East - Israel.'
Despite the absence of Israel and the US, the council retains the authority to examine human rights issues in any country. It operates as a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, with 47 elected member states serving three-year terms.
While only members can vote on resolutions, all UN states may attend sessions as observers, voice their views, or be the subject of investigations.
But while the council can establish commissions of inquiry, it does not have the authority to impose sanctions.
It is also grappling with severe financial shortfalls as several member states shift budget priorities from international institutions to military spending.
Nonetheless, the council will review around 100 reports from independent experts investigating crisis situations around the world, including in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Sudan and the Palestinian Territories. The session runs through July 9.

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