UN: Israel’s military action could constitute a war crime
Published: Tuesday, May 7th 2024, 13:00
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The humanitarian organizations of the United Nations have condemned Israel's advance in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. There are no safe routes to the north and no safe havens with sufficient sanitary facilities and food supplies for the civilian population who have been ordered to evacuate certain zones in Rafah.
These are basic requirements for evacuations, said the spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, on Tuesday in Geneva. If these are not met, it is a case of forced displacement, which could constitute war crimes. "There are strong indications that (this military operation) is being carried out in a way that violates international humanitarian law," she said.
"This morning is one of the darkest in this seven-month-long nightmare," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN emergency aid office OCHA, because Israel has closed the two most important border crossings through which humanitarian aid has been brought into the Gaza Strip so far, Rafah and Kerem Shalom. Only a fraction of the necessary aid could be brought into the Gaza Strip via the recently opened crossing in Erez in the north. The Israeli forces had ignored all warnings about the impact on the civilian population. "Panic and despair are spreading. People are totally terrified." There are hardly any stocks because incoming humanitarian aid is always distributed immediately. The fuel for generators and vans may only last for one day.
"Our worst fears are now apparently a reality," said James Elder, spokesman for the UN Children's Fund, Unicef. According to him, children with amputated limbs, who were living in tents due to the overcrowding in hospitals, now have to make their way north.
©Keystone/SDA
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