UN Secretary General António Guterres renewed his call for a ceasefire on Thursday at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, just a day after the “preliminary phase” of the Israeli military’s offensive plan began in Gaza.
Secretary General Guterres urged that it is “vital to immediately reach a ceasefire in Gaza,” emphasizing, “the decision by the Israeli authorities to expand illegal settlement construction, which would divide the West Bank, must be reversed. All settlement construction is a violation of international law.”
The UN press release sharing Secretary General Guterres’ statement also highlighted data from UN aid teams that “acute malnutrition” is increasing in Gaza City.
Specifically, data from UNRWA clinics showed that child malnutrition has tripled across Gaza in the past six months.
According to the press release, the settlement is suspected to “have permission for well over 3,000 houses, schools, and a clinic.”
OHCHR shared that there are reports of the Israeli military “broadcasting orders using quadcopters as well as phone calls for residents to evacuate large parts of Jabalya.”
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
This ceasefire renewal comes after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, cautioned that Israel’s offensive could threaten Palestinians’ existence in Gaza.
Moreover, Amnesty International recently condemned Israel’s starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, calling it the outcome of a deliberate Israeli policy of genocide.
Last week, UN experts claimed Israeli attacks deliberately targeting Gaza’s healthcare system were gross violations of international law and “medicide.”
The EU Humanitarian Aid Operations issued a joint statement, addressing Israeli restrictions preventing NGO’s from providing life-saving aid in Gaza.
(Jurist)
