Amid ongoing strikes on Palestinians, the United Nations’ human rights commissioner, Volker Turk, has declared that Israel’s complete siege of the Gaza Strip, depriving civilians of essential goods for survival, is prohibited under international law.
This statement comes in the wake of Israel’s imposition of a total blockade on the Gaza Strip, which includes restrictions on electricity, water, food, and fuel. Additionally, Israel called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists, raising concerns of a potential ground assault.
Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, emphasized the need to respect the dignity and lives of all individuals involved and called for de-escalation in the “explosive powder-keg situation.”
“International humanitarian law is clear: the obligation to take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects remains applicable throughout the attacks,” Turk stated in a released statement.
The siege presents a grave risk of exacerbating an already dire human rights and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly regarding the ability of medical facilities to operate, given the increasing number of injuries, the statement highlighted.
Turk emphasized that imposing sieges that endanger civilians by depriving them of essential goods for survival is expressly prohibited under international humanitarian law.
Any limitations on the movement of people and goods to enforce a siege must be justified by military necessity and must not result in collective punishment, the statement added.
In the midst of escalating hostilities, Hamas, a Palestinian political and militant organization, threatened to execute an Israeli captive for every Palestinian home bombed by Israel without warning. The death toll from the clashes has surpassed 1,500.
The Israeli military has claimed to have regained “full control” of the Gaza fence that was breached by Hamas gunmen who infiltrated southern Israel on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera – Input from Reuters and AFP
