United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Tuesday that the total blockade announced by Israel against the Palestinian Gaza Strip is forbidden by international humanitarian law.
Geneva.- “The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians and deprive them of goods essential for their survival are illegal under international law,” he stressed in a statement.
Israel launched bombings against Gaza, one of the most densely populated territories in the world, in recent days in response to a surprise attack by the Hamas militia over the weekend, actions that left at least 1,600 deaths on both sides of the border, the vast majority civilians.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, in turn, on Monday announced the total blockade of the Strip, where nearly 200,000 people were displaced by the bombings.
“No electricity, no water, no gas, everything is closed,” Gallant said in his message in Hebrew.
In this context, the World Health Organization on Tuesday demanded the opening of a humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip, a measure it described as necessary for the shipment of essential medical products.
Israel’s reaction to the Hamas attack, which has raised worldwide condemnation, generates concern and complaints for pointing to collective punishment that has become a common practice against the occupied Palestinian people.
WHO ADVOCATES CREATING HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR FOR GAZA STRIP
Bern.- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday advocated creating a humanitarian corridor to bring products to the Gaza Strip, which is under Israel's bombings, amid its conflict with the resistance movement Hamas.
It is a way to bring essential products to Gaza, with nearly three million inhabitants in an area of 360 square kilometers, said WHO Official Spokesperson Tarik Yazarevich, who was quoted by local television.
At a press conference in Geneva, the headquarters of the institution, the spokesperson pointed out that medical supplies are needed in all seven hospitals in Gaza, where the death toll exceeds 800 lives and the injured are more than 4,000.
“The WHO calls for an end to violence. A humanitarian corridor is necessary to supply the population with basic necessities,” Yarevich stated.
On Israel’s side, more than 700 people have been killed during an unprecedented offensive in the last 50 years launched by the military wing of Hamas against cities located mostly in areas that have been occupied for 75 years by Tel Aviv, in the West Bank.
Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmud Abbas recently called on the international community to help the Palestinian people obtain their rights and to pressure Israeli authorities to force them to stop their crimes.
The time has come to implement the decisions adopted at the United Nations, we have had enough promises and delays from the international community regarding the end of the occupation and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State, he stressed.
During his speech last month before the UN General Assembly, Abbas hinted at these changes after calling on Israel to define the borders within a year. (PL)
