UNITED NATIONS, AUG 8 (DNA):The UN’s top human rights official emphasized on Friday that the Israeli Government must not pursue a complete takeover of the besieged Gaza Strip.
“A complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted,” Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, demanded, after the Israeli security cabinet approved a plan for a full-scale Israeli military takeover in the battered enclave.
The development runs contrary to international law, Turk continued, referring to a ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must end its occupation and achieve a two-State solution giving Palestinians the right to self-determination.
Any further escalation of the conflict between Hamas and Israel that has devastated Gaza and killed tens of thousands “will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes”, the UN rights chief said.
In a short statement, Turk insisted that rather than intensifying the conflict, “the Israeli Government should put all its efforts into saving the lives of Gaza’s civilians by allowing the full, unfettered flow of humanitarian aid”.
At the same time, all hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released by Palestinian groups, he continued, adding that Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israel must also also be released.
“The war in Gaza must end now. And Israelis and Palestinians must be allowed to live side by side in peace,” the High Commissioner said.
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