UN: US-Israeli aid hubs fail to meet international standards
At least 410 Palestinians have died while attempting to reach US-Israeli aid distribution hubs in Gaza due to Israeli attacks, Middle East Eye reported via Reuters on June 24th.
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) stated that this likely amounts to a war crime. OHCHR spokesperson Thameen al-Keetan said Israel’s militarised approach to aid distribution violates international standards.
He added that using food as a weapon and blocking civilians’ access to essential services is a war crime and may constitute other violations under international law.
Amid the Gaza aid crisis, the UN agency for Palestinian refugee (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the US-backed aid distribution system, calling it “an abomination,” Middle East Eye reported on June 24th.
He said the mechanism humiliates desperate civilians and puts their lives at risk. Lazzarini warned that the system causes more deaths than it prevents. On June 24th, Israeli forces killed 71 Palestinians, including 50 people waiting to get aid.
Additionally, according to a report by Middle East Eye on June 16th and as Maghrebi cited, the United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk strongly condemned Israel’s military activities in Gaza. He stated that Israeli forces have inflicted “horrifying, unconscionable suffering” on Palestinians.
Turk criticised Israel for intentionally blocking humanitarian aid and using starvation as a weapon. He called for impartial investigations into attacks on civilians seeking food. He also criticised key Israeli officials for making dehumanising remarks.
Turk warned that such rhetoric dangerously resembles language used during some of the worst crimes in recent history.
Middle East Eye, Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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