Hell on Earth – UN Rights Chief, UNRWA Condemn Israeli Airstrikes On Gaza
The UN human rights chief and the UN refugee agency for Palestine both condemned Israel’s renewed airstrikes on Gaza, calling them a clear breach of ceasefire agreements and urging an immediate end to the violence.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, expressed outrage on Tuesday over Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, calling the recent escalation a “tragedy upon tragedy” and demanding an urgent end to the ongoing violence in the region.
“I am horrified by last night’s Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza, which killed hundreds, according to the Ministry of Health in the Strip,” he said in a statement, adding, “This will add tragedy onto tragedy,”
Turk emphasized that after 18 months of continuous violence, it is clear that there is “no military path out of this crisis” and called for a political settlement in line with international law.
“Israel’s resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions,” he added.
Turk called for the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners and all those arbitrarily detained, insisting, “This nightmare must end immediately. The war must end permanently.”
Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) also condemned the renewed Israeli airstrikes.
‘Hell on Earth’
UNRWA Commission-General Philippe Lazzarini described the aftermath as “awful scenes of civilians killed, among them children, following waves of heavy bombardment from Israeli Forces overnight.”
Lazzarini said the majority of the victims were civilians, including women and children, whose homes were bombed during the night. “Fueling ‘hell on earth’ by resuming the war will only bring more despair & suffering,” he stated on his X account.
The Israeli military’s renewed assault killed at least 404 people and injured hundreds, the vast majority amongst them civilians.
Lazzarini called for a return to the ceasefire, which had been agreed upon between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on January 19. “A return to the ceasefire is a must,” he insisted.
The Israeli attacks broke the ceasefire agreement that had been in place since mid-January, following several rounds of negotiations. In addition to the latest death toll, Israel has, since October 2023, killed over 48,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins.
Both the UN human rights chief and UNRWA have called for an immediate end to the violence and urged the international community to intervene to prevent further suffering.
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Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its ongoing actions in the enclave.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yova Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
