A panel of United Nations (UN) experts has described Israel’s continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip as “one of the most ostentatious and merciless manifestations of the desecration of human life and dignity,” and demanded international action to avert the “annihilation” of Palestinians in the enclave.The statement by more than 20 independent UN expert came after rescuers in the Palestinian territory said Israeli bombardments on Wednesday had killed 59 more people, 48 of them in Gaza City.The Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, said at least 2,545 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign after a two-month ceasefire collapsed on March 18, bringing the war’s overall death toll in Gaza to 52,653. The death toll cannot be independently verified, but many NGOs and the United Nations have regarded the figures as reliable.“While states debate terminology, is it or is it not genocide? — Israel continues its relentless destruction of life in Gaza, through attacks by land, air and sea, displacing and massacring the surviving population with impunity,” the UN experts said. “No one is spared — not children, persons with disabilities, nursing mothers, journalists, health professionals, aid workers, or hostages.”Imploring the international community to avert a descent into a “moral abyss,” the experts said political leaders around the world faced a “stark decision” over Israel and Gaza: either to “remain passive and witness the slaughter of innocents” or “take part in crafting a just resolution.”
Macron: Situation in Gaza ‘most critical
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called the situation in Gaza “the most critical we have ever seen,”while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said developments in Gaza and the occupied West Bank were “increasingly intolerable.”Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Madrid would present a draft resolution at the UN General Assembly aimed at “proposing urgent measures to stop the killing of innocent civilians and ensure humanitarian aid” in Gaza.Israel’s military operations in Gaza followed the terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas militants killed 1,218 Israelis, mostly civilians, and abducted another 251 people. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by Israel, Germany, the United States and several other countries.Israel has demanded the return of all hostages seized in the attack, and the disarmament and dissolution of Hamas. Nationalist hardliners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have this week also expressed long-held ambitions of territorial expansion.Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday, “We are finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip.” He said he envisioned Gaza being “completely destroyed” and its residents displaced.On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and Slovenia released a joint statement in which they said they “firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza.”UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel’s expanded plans “will almost certainly cause further mass displacement, more deaths and injuries of innocent civilians” and create would create conditions which would threaten the “continued existence” of Palestinians in Gaza.