Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 15th Oct. UN Palestine refugee agency on Saturday issued an urgent call for Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians sheltering in Gaza, in a statement released in New York.
The statement came as the Israeli imposed deadline for some 1.1 million civilians to leave the northern Gaza ahead of a major advance into Gaza by Israeli ground forces,which expired.
The statement said “UNRWA shelters in Gaza and northern Gaza are no longer safe. This is unprecedented,”.
The agency stressed according to the rules of warfare, civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics and United Nations premises cannot be a target.
“UNRWA is sparing no efforts to advocate with parties to the conflicts to meet their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including those seeking refuge in UNRWA shelters,” the agency emphasized.
UNRWA pointed out that many of the vulnerable, particularly pregnant women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities simply will be unable to flee south.
“They have no choice and must be protected at all times.”
Over 1,300 people were killed in Israel by Hamas militant group who raided settlements close to Gaza strip last Saturday.
According to Palestinian authorities, 2,200 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s aerial strike on Gaza.
UN chief Mr. Antonio Guterres said it would be “impossible” for civilians in Gaza to comply with the evacuation order without devastating humanitarian consequences.
He called on the world to unite in support of the fundamental principle of protecting civilians, and “finding a lasting solution to this unending cycle of death and destruction.”
WHO logistics hub carrying aid supplies in Dubai landed in Egypt on Saturday to assist civilians in Gaza as soon as access across the border into Gaza strip can be established.
WHO stated that the shipment includes trauma medicines, healthcare essentials, and equipment sufficient to treat around 1,200 who have suffered injuries during the bombing raids and around 1,500 chronically ill patients.
The cargo also includes basic health supplies to meet the needs of 300,000 others, including pregnant women.
WHO said that hospitals in Gaza either completely out of action, or simply overwhelmed, the supplies will help save the lives of the wounded wherever they can find shelter.
WHO said it was critical for the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border to be reopened.
“While the Egyptian side of the crossing is accessible, the Israeli side remains closed”, said the statement.
“Every hour these supplies remain on the Egyptian side of the border, more girls and boys, women, and men, especially those vulnerable or disabled, will die while supplies that can save them are less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.”
WHO said it would be working with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies to ship the supplies across the border into Gaza, as soon as practicable.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday who endorsed the request to facilitate medical aid across the border into Gaza.
UN relief chief Martin Griffiths on Saturday said he fears “the worst is yet to come, after a week of “utter anguish and devastation” for civilians in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“In Israel, families are reeling from the horror of last Saturday’s attack”, said Martin Griffiths.
“More than a thousand people have been killed and many more have been injured. Over 100 people are held captive.
“In Gaza, families have been bombed while inching their way south along congested, damaged roads, following an evacuation order that left hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for safety but with nowhere to go.”
He warned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, “already critical, is fast becoming untenable.”
Griffiths warned that violence is on the rise in the occupied West Bank, with a surge in civilian deaths and injuries leaving families “facing ever greater movement restrictions.”
“And in Lebanon, the risk of the conflict spilling into the country is a major concern.”
He called for all civilians and civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian workers, to be protected by all combatants.
Mr. Griffiths echoed the UN chief’s appeal saying all countries with influence must exert it to ensure respect for the rules of war and to avoid any further escalation and spillover.
“The past week has been a test for humanity, and humanity is failing.”
Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 warned that Gaza’s civilian population was in grave danger of “mass ethnic cleansing” on the international community to urgently mediate a ceasefire.
“The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel has reached fever pitch,” said Francesca Albanese.
She called on the UN and Member States to intensify efforts to mediate an immediate ceasefire between the parties, before “a point of no return” is reached.
She reiterated the international community of its responsibility to prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes.
“Time is of the essence. Palestinians and Israelis both deserve to live in peace, equality of rights, dignity and freedom,” Ms. Albanese said.
“Any continued military operations by Israel have gone well beyond the limits of international law. The international community must stop these egregious violations of international law now, before tragic history is repeated.”
Comments are closed.