UN official: The siege on Gaza led to an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe

Geneva (ST) – Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Navanethem Pillay, warned that the siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the Gaza Strip since last October has led to an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe.

During a meeting at the United Nations office in Geneva, Pillay said: “Israel launched an unprecedented war against the residents of Gaza, and more than 33,000 Palestinians were killed in this war, half of whom are women and children.”

“According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1.7 million people have been displaced within the Gaza region, and 40 percent of schools were directly affected by the Israeli attacks”, she added.

Pillay indicated that the World Health Organization (WHO) affirmed that more than 400 attacks had occurred on the health sector in Gaza, which is a clear violation of international law, stressing that roads and infrastructure have been severely damaged, and this situation prevents the implementation of humanitarian aid activities.

Pillay stressed that Israel has regularly stopped or prevented humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and this contradicts the interim decisions issued by the ICJ in the genocide case brought against Israel.

Pillay also stressed that the commission investigated the international crimes committed by Israel in the West Bank, as well as Gaza and East Al-Quds, and that it will present the preliminary results to the UN Human Rights Council during next June and to the General Assembly of the UN during the month of next October.

It is noteworthy that the commission has focused all its work on the current Israeli aggression since last October, and is investigating the measures taken.

Najla Khoury