GENEVA, Aug. 8– UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday that the Israeli government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip “must be immediately halted.”
“It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the agreed two-state solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,” said Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement.
He warned that this further escalation “will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes.”
Instead of intensifying this war, 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, Turk stressed.
In addition, the hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released by Palestinian armed groups, and Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israel must also be immediately and unconditionally released, he said.
Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Friday. (Xinhua)
