UN Official: Residents of Gaza face increasing horrors every day

He also called for an end to fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.

“Israel continues to incessantly bombard the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and punish them collectively (…) Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are living in ever-increasing terror,” said V. Turk during the press conference.

In such apocalyptic humanitarian circumstances, he said, there is a high risk of atrocity crimes.

V. Turk said that 1.9 out of 2.2 million people living in the enclave were forced from their homes and pushed into “decreasingly shrinking and extremely overcrowded areas in the southern part of the Gaza Strip where conditions are unsanitary and unsanitary.”

“The catastrophic situation that occurred in the Gaza Strip could have been fully foreseen and avoided. My colleagues in the humanitarian sector described the situation as apocalyptic. In such circumstances, the risk of violent crimes increases, added the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the release of all hostages.”

According to V. Turk, the human rights crisis in the occupied West Bank is also very worrying. He called on the Israeli authorities to take immediate action to end widespread impunity for violations.

On October 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel. According to Jewish officials, about 1.2 thousand were killed in the attacks. people, mostly civilians, and about 240 people were taken hostage.

During the short-lived truce, 80 hostages were released and Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and free 138 people still held by the group.

The Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip claims that 16,200 people have already died during the Israeli operation in the territory. people, mostly civilians.

“All countries understand what is really needed to achieve peace and security for the Palestinian and Israeli people; violence and revenge can only lead to even greater hatred and radicalization, – concluded V. Turkas. “The only way to end the accumulating suffering is to end the occupation and reach a solution based on the coexistence of two states.”