UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the darkest moment of the Gaza conflict is taking place in the northern Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army is effectively subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege and risk of starvation, while being forced to choose between mass displacement and imprisonment in an active conflict zone.
“The bombings in northern Gaza are incessant,” he said on Friday. “The Israeli army has ordered hundreds of thousands of people to leave, with no guarantee of return. But there is no safe way to leave. The bombs continue to fall, the Israeli army separates families and arrests many people and those fleeing are reportedly shot. »
Possible atrocity crimes in the north
Calling on world leaders to act, the UN human rights chief said states have a duty under the Geneva Conventions to ensure respect for international humanitarian law.
“Incredibly, the situation is getting worse every day,” he said.
“The Israeli government’s policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians. We are faced with what could constitute atrocity crimes, which could even extend to crimes against humanity.
Trapped in bureaucracy
At the same time, children are being medically evacuated from Gaza at a rate of less than one child per day, and many are suffering from conditions as serious as head trauma, amputations, burns, cancer and death. severe malnutrition, said James Elder, a spokesperson for the organization. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) told reporters in Geneva on Friday morning.
“It’s not a logistical problem“, he said. “We have the capacity to transport these children out of Gaza safely. It’s not a capacity problem. In fact, we were evacuating a larger number of children just a few months ago. It’s simply a problem that is completely ignored.”
As the war continues for a year, children are being medically evacuated from Gaza at a rate of less than one child per day, and many of them are suffering from conditions as serious as head trauma, amputations, burns. , cancer and severe malnutrition.
Trapped by an uncaring bureaucracy, children’s pain is brutally compounded, he said, adding that when a patient is denied evacuation, there is nothing that can be done.
No reasons given for refusals
If this deadly slow pace continues, it will take more than seven years to evacuate the 2,500 children in need of urgent medical care, Elder warned, adding that COGAT, the acronym for Israeli humanitarian affairs authorities in the occupied Gaza Strip,does not provide reasons for refusal“.
“It is unclear how many child patients were rejected for medical evacuation. [emergency medical evacuation]“, Mr. Elder said.
“Only a list of approved patients is provided by Israeli COGAT, which controls entry and exit points from Gaza. The status of others is not shared.
“As a result, children in Gaza are dying, not only because of the bombs, bullets and shells that hit them, but because even when ‘miracles happen,’ even when the bombs explode, homes collapse. collapse and casualties mount, children survive and are then prevented from leaving Gaza to receive life-saving emergency care.
Violation of human rights
From January 1 to May 7, an average of 296 children were medically evacuated each month. Since the closure of the Rafah crossing on May 7 due to the Israeli ground offensive, the number of children medically evacuated has collapsed to just 22 per month, or 127 children.
“After more than a year of trying to shed light on the atrocities committed against children in Gaza, this is perhaps the clearest and most damning reality: children – deeply sick children – are seeing themselves refuse medical care that could save them. in Gaza and then prevented from leaving for places where help awaits them,” Elder said.
“Children are thus denied medical care which is a basic human right, and those who narrowly survived the merciless bombings are condemned to die from their injuries.
No escape
“One of the many tragedies of Gaza is that appalling numbers have failed to move those in power to act,” he said, sharing the stories of several children he met who awaiting medical evacuation.
He said there was “no escape” for Mazyona, 12 years oldwhose siblings were killed when two rockets hit his home, leaving him with devastating wounds to his face, shrapnel embedded in his neck that requires medical evacuation for specialized care and bone surgery.
Likewise, he continued, Atef, six months old, fights muscle cancer and severe malnutrition, and four-year-old Elia, who suffered fourth-degree burns when nighttime bombings set her home on fire, was allowed to leave Gaza for emergency treatment, but she is still waiting as doctors said that they feared they would soon have to amputate it. her hand and other leg if she is not evacuated for medical reasons.
“All of this is taking place amid relentless bombardment, while Gaza’s hospitals have been decimated.leaving them unable to care for the flood of child patients,” he warned, adding that medical staff are repeatedly reporting urgent shortages of essentials like needles, plaster, burn cream , IV fluids and painkillers, as well as essential items like wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids. aids, even batteries.
Many of the more than 100,000 Palestinians injured in the year-long war suffered lasting disabilities.
Rights experts say disabilities are being ignored
For those stuck in Gaza, the needs of people with disabilities are being overlooked, independent United Nations human rights experts said Friday.
“Many of the nearly 100,000 injured Palestinians in Gaza will suffer lasting disabilities requiring rehabilitation, assistive devices, psychosocial support and other services that are sorely needed,” said the experts, who have previously share these concerns with the Israeli government.
Experts noted that multiple evacuation orders completely ignored people with disabilities who often have extreme difficulty following or understanding instructions.
They said Palestinians with disabilities face unbearable protection risks, including unavoidable death and injury, amid indiscriminate attacks by Israeli occupying forces that have destroyed critical infrastructure and wiped out any possibility of humanitarian aid.
“The impact extends beyond physical injuries, with serious emotional and psychological trauma and wider effects on the social fabric and needs of families and communities, particularly affecting women who often bear the brunt of care . »
Indiscriminate attacks
Disabled people are being killed and injured in indiscriminate attacks despite posing no security threat, illustrating Israel’s deliberate attack on civilians, warned the independent experts, who do not represent any government or organization and receive no pay for their work.
“They were in an impossible situation: either leave their homes and the assistive devices they need to survive, or stay behind without their families and caregivers and be at increased risk of being killed,” they said. -they declared. “During evacuation attempts, women and girls with disabilities are particularly exposed to increased danger and further trauma. »
Escalation of Israeli settler violence
Referring to the escalation of violence by illegal Israeli settlers and Israeli forces, the massive destruction of homes and roads and restrictions on movement in the West Bank and Jerusalem, experts warned that disabled Palestinians in these occupied territories do not have access to health, rehabilitation and other services. essential services.
“Over the past year, Israel has violated its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and the safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including armed conflict,” the experts said.
The parties to the conflict must immediately agree to a ceasefire, they said. The experts also recalled the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of July 2024, which declared Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory illegal, amounting to racial segregation and apartheid.
“Israel must respect its international obligations and the interim measures ordered by the ICJ regarding its conduct in Gaza, which aim to prevent further acts of genocide,” the experts said.
