United Nations (UN) human rights experts said on Monday (16) that “no one can doubt” that Israel is carrying out “genocide in the Gaza Strip” and that this was the country’s intention “since the beginning of the war”, triggered by Hamas terrorist attacks against Israeli territory in October 2023.
“I think the genocidal intent [de Israel] was demonstrated from the beginning […] We have had numerous statements from Israeli authorities saying that Palestinians are animals, who cannot be treated according to international standards of conduct in war,” said the UN rapporteur for the promotion of democracy, George Katrougalos, in a press conference, according to information from the EFE Agency.
“And since then, the situation has gotten much worse, so I don’t think there can be any doubt about that,” Katrougalos responded, in a comment that was supported by the rapporteurs on the right to water, the right to health and human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“Many of us have signed declarations since mid-October [dias após o início da guerra] “announcing the grave risk of genocide. And the genocide is ongoing,” said Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories.
Albanese said the international community had “failed in its legal responsibility to prevent genocide” in Gaza, and said the West Bank, where Israel is carrying out a counter-terrorism operation against members of Hamas and other extremist groups, could also be targeted.
Regarding the intention of genocide, the UN rapporteur on the right to water and basic sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, said that Israeli authorities announced at the beginning of the conflict that they would cut off the supply of water, food and electricity to Gaza, “which implies the crime of extermination”.
Arrojo-Agudo also stated that, in this context, drinking water for the survival of Palestinians is being used “as a weapon of war.”
The expert highlighted that, at the moment, the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip are surviving on just 4.7 liters of water per person per day, when in everyday life anyone uses at least 100 liters to cover their needs and the World Health Organization (WHO) has established that 15 liters per person per day is the minimum in emergency situations (conflicts and natural disasters).
In this regard, he argued that the very precarious access to water in Gaza has led to 1.7 million cases of infections of all types in the 11 months of conflict and that this is causing “silent” deaths, especially among children, who are not counted as part of the war’s casualties.
The UN’s special rapporteur on the right to health, Tialeng Mofokeng, said the only way to reverse this situation is an immediate ceasefire.
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