Its High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, described the death toll from recent Israeli raids on the Strip as “horrendous” and urged all parties not to let peace be “lost”.
“Reports of more than 100 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting homes, displaced persons’ tents and schools across the Gaza Strip, following the death of an Israeli soldier, are appalling,” he said in a statement.
Israel announced that after a soldier was killed in the deadliest night in the Palestinian enclave since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect in early October.
“The laws of war are very clear about the paramount importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he added. “It is heartbreaking that these deaths come just as the people of Gaza began to believe there was hope that the violence would end.”
“as well as the almost total destruction of Gaza,” he said. “We must not let this opportunity for peace and this path to a more just and secure future be lost.”
“He unequivocally condemns the deaths of civilians in Gaza”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “unequivocally condemns” the deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza yesterday, Tuesday, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said today.
“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the deaths caused by Israeli airstrikes on civilians in Gaza yesterday, including many children. It condemns all actions that undermine the ceasefire and endanger civilians,” Dujarric told the press, calling on all sides to honor their commitments and avoid “any action that threatens civilians or impedes humanitarian aid.”
Source: APE – MEB
