UN Warning To Israel: Gaza Blockade Contravenes International Humanitarian Law

Total blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel, which will be cutting off all supplies of electricity, gasoline, water, and food in a matter of days, is “prohibited by international humanitarian law.” This was stated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. “Sieges that endanger the lives of civilians and deprive them of goods necessary for survival are prohibited by international humanitarian law,” Turk said.

According to the latest estimates by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are already more than 187,500 internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip. The exodus began on Saturday, the day Hamas launched a lightning attack on Israel.

The Israeli army is preparing for a large-scale military operation and has directly called on Palestinian civilians to leave the Gaza Strip and move to Egypt. “The number of displaced people in the Gaza Strip has increased significantly. Most of them are sheltering in schools and buildings owned by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said at a press conference in Geneva. Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the southern Gaza Strip, in the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, and are trying to enter Egypt and escape areas affected by incessant Israeli bombing. The Rafah crossing is currently closed, but an exception will be made for Palestinians with permission to enter Egypt.

The humanitarian crisis is becoming increasingly acute. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on parties involved in the armed conflict to “open a safe humanitarian corridor inside and outside the Gaza Strip,” which is under a total blockade by Israel. “WHO calls to put an end to violence. The humanitarian corridor is required to deliver the necessary medication to people,” said WHO representative Tarik Jasarevic.