The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has condemned Israel’s decision to order a “full siege” on Gaza, including the ban on food and water.
Turk pleaded with states with influence to defuse the situation and stressed that international and humanitarian law must be upheld.
“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,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
The UN added that Israel’s move “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 numbers of injured”.
Hospitals overwhelmed as the Israeli army continues bombardment of the Gaza Strip, four days after Hamas’s unprecedented attack in Israel.
Palestinian health ministry and the World Health Organisation have called for humanitarian corridor “to ensure the entry of urgent medical aid” into Gaza’s hospitals.
The latest death toll stands at 770 Palestinians in Gaza and more than 900 people in Israel.
Hamas’s surprise attack on Saturday came after Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in recent days and a record number of Palestinians were killed by Israel in recent months.
