“By signing the Geneva Conventions, signatories have a legal responsibility to ensure adherence to international law by all parties involved.”
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has added his voice to the call for immediate action to end “the human tragedy unfolding in Gaza.”
“I join UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in his call for immediate action by world leaders to bring about an end to the human tragedy unfolding in Gaza,” Borrell said in a statement on Saturday.
“By signing the Geneva Conventions, signatories have a legal responsibility to ensure adherence to international law by all parties involved. It is our duty to protect civilians and human rights, and it is high time to act on it,” the EU chief stressed.
‘Catastrophic Level of Killing’
He said the “too little information” coming out from northern Gaza which has been under siege by Israeli forces for over three weeks, “still attests to a catastrophic level of killing, destruction and starvation.”
I join OHCHR chief @volker_turk call to stop the appalling level of civilian casualties, destruction, starvation & forced displacements in Gaza.
We need urgently a ceasefire, respect of IHL, and humanitarian access.
We need to turn words into action.https://t.co/wQ4kpJn27w
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) October 26, 2024
This is in addition to forced displacements of civilians “while an entire population is under bombings, siege and risk of starvation, as well as being forced to choose between displacement or death.”
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Monday that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in 24 days of the Israeli siege on the north of the enclave. Access to food, water and medical supplies has been cut off, with the Kamal Adwan Hospital ambushed by Israeli forces.
‘Respecting ICJ Orders’
Borrell emphasized that “civilians in Gaza also dramatically need rapid and unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale” throughout the Strip.
Only One Doctor Remains at Kamal Adwan Hospital – Over 1,000 Killed in North Gaza over 24 Days
Since the beginning of the conflict, he said, the EU has repeatedly called for compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
“We have emphasised the importance of respecting and implementing the orders of the International Court of Justice and UN Security Council resolutions, which are legally binding,” Borrell stated.
“I hear the High Commissioner’s plea for action and, in turn, I exhort the international community to unite so that words can turn into real actions,” the EU chief added.
‘Darkest Moment’ – Volker Türk
On Friday, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said that “today, the darkest moment of the Gaza conflict is unfolding in the north of the Strip,” where the Israeli military is effectively subjecting an entire population “to bombing, siege and risk of starvation, as well as being forced to choose between mass displacement and being trapped in an active conflict zone.”
UN Human Rights Chief @volker_turk calls on the world’s leaders to ensure respect for international humanitarian law as the darkest moment of the #Gaza conflict is unfolding.
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) October 25, 2024
“The Israeli Government’s policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians. We are facing what could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity,” he stated.
Geneva Convention
Calling on the world’s leaders to act, Türk said “Under the Geneva Conventions, States have an obligation to act when a serious violation of international humanitarian law has been committed.”
“Under the Genocide Convention, State parties also have the responsibility to act to prevent such a crime, when risk becomes apparent,” he stressed.
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Türk noted that “for months” he has “pleaded with all parties to the conflict as well as all States, particularly those with influence in the region, to act to stop the carnage and destruction.”
“Now, the international rule of law is being progressively dismantled,” he stated. “Either the world ashamedly fails those who so desperately need help, or we stand united and put a stop to this.”
Staggering Death Toll
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,020 Palestinians have been killed, and 101,110 wounded in the ongoing genocidal assault.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Millions Displaced
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
