UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk condemned Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip and said is banned under international law in a statement on Tuesday.
The Times of Israel reports that he called for all sides to diffuse the “explosive powder-keg situation.”
Turk said in a statement: “International humanitarian law is clear: The obligation to take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects remains applicable throughout the attacks.”
This comes after a weekend of terror near the border of Gaza in Israel as 1,000 armed Hamas militants surprise attacked innocent music festival goers before rampaging by foot, sea and air through Israel’s southern regions. The Palestinian terror group has since launched over 5000 rockets at Israel with some nearing Tel Aviv.
Turk's statement continued, “The principles of distinction and the prohibition of indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks are paramount.”
“On the ninth of October Israeli authorities ordered a full siege of Gaza, shutting off electricity, water, food and fuel supplies. This risks seriously compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza including the capacity of medical facilities to operate, especially in light of increasing number of injured people.”
“The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law.”
Over 900 Israelis have been reportedly killed as of Tuesday with over 2,700 injured. In addition, around 150 Israeli men, women and children have been kidnapped and dragged to Gaza.
As Israel has retaliated with airstrikes allegedly targeting terrorist infrastructure, Hamas has threatened to brutally execute hostages on livestream should the counterattacks continue without warning.
While Israel has been warning Gazan civilians to evacuate central areas, the “roof knocking” policy, where the IDF will use texts, calls or strikes on rooftops to warn residents to evacuate specific buildings is only being used in certain circumstances, a senior Israeli government source reports.
