Geneva: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Monday denounced the Israeli occupation's mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, emphasizing that the ongoing obstruction of lifesaving aid by the Israeli authorities could exacerbate the starvation crisis among civilians in the region. This statement was made during a speech at the Human Rights Council's 60th session in Geneva.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Turk expressed his horror at the use of genocidal rhetoric and the dehumanization of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials, who have described Gaza as "a graveyard." He condemned Israel's actions, including the killing of journalists and committing repeated war crimes, which he stated are shocking the conscience of the international community. Turk highlighted his office's monitoring and reporting efforts as vital for future accountability, asserting that Israel has a case to answer before the International Court of Justice, with evidence continuing to accumulate.
Turk urged the international community to halt the flow of arms to the Israeli occupation that might violate the laws of war. He stressed the importance of enforcing a ceasefire, securing the release of hostages and arbitrarily detained individuals, and ensuring the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza through all available means. He also called for decisive action against the Israeli occupation's planned military takeover of Gaza and its ongoing annexation of the occupied West Bank, while affirming the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.
The UN rights chief called on the Israeli occupation to adhere to its legal obligations and to implement the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice to prevent genocide, punish incitement to genocide, and ensure adequate humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza. Turk also voiced concern over the United States' sanctions on judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court, demanding the lifting of US sanctions against the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese.
The United States had previously imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese following her report on the "economy of genocide," which accused several global companies of complicity in supporting genocide in Gaza. Turk warned against reverting to outdated approaches that led to historical atrocities, emphasizing the need to uphold and reinforce global and regional legal frameworks.