UN urges ceasefire, claims Palestinians in 'grave risk of genocide'

Experts from the UN urged a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza on Thursday, stating that time was running out for the Palestinian people living there who are in “grave danger of genocide.” Health officials in the Hamas-run enclave report that over 9,000 people have died as a result of nearly four weeks of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retaliation for attacks by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel on October 7. The majority of the victims were women and children. Israel says it is aiming its attacks at Hamas, not civilians, and accuses the group of using them as shields. “We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” the group of experts, made up of seven U.N. special rapporteurs, said in a statement. “We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most.” The Israeli embassy in Geneva announced that it was getting ready to respond to the experts’ observations. The specific intent to kill members of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group or use other methods, such as enforcing birth control measures or forcibly transferring children from one group to another, constitutes genocide, according to the International Criminal Court. The High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk received a letter from departing senior U.N. human rights official Craig Mokhiber on October 28 that stated, “We are seeing a genocide unfold before our eyes, and the Organisation that we serve appears powerless to stop it.” According to the U.N. rights office, Mokhiber’s scheduled retirement went into effect this week and that his views were “personal” and did not reflect those of the office. Since Israel started bombarding the heavily populated enclave, aid organisations have reported that supplies of aid to Gaza have been severely limited and fall well short of the needs of the local population. The U.N. experts declared that “the situation in Gaza has reached a catastrophic tipping point,” noting that Gazans were left with limited fuel, water, medicine, and other necessities while also facing health risks. The experts said that Israel’s allies “bear responsibility and must act now to prevent its disastrous course of action.” They also mentioned these allies. The U.N. experts declared, “We call on Israel and its allies to agree to an immediate ceasefire.” “We are running out of time.” (With agency inputs)