Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, said the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank had reached “catastrophic levels,” adding that the lack of accountability for Israel’s attacks was one of the factors fueling the conflict.
Shamdasani said more than 70,000 people had been killed in attacks in Gaza that, she said, had continued since October 2023. She said more than 1,400 people had also been killed after a ceasefire was declared last October, adding that attacks and clashes had continued despite the ceasefire.
Hunger and aid restrictions in Gaza
Shamdasani said people in Gaza were dying of hunger and alleged that war crimes and possible crimes against humanity were being committed. She said restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid had worsened the food crisis.
More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, more than 175,000 people have been injured and about 90 percent of the infrastructure has been destroyed. Despite the ceasefire agreement, the siege and daily bombardments have continued, while restrictions on the entry of sufficient quantities of food, medicine, medical supplies and shelter materials remain in place.
Killing and detention in the West Bank
Shamdasani said more land had been seized in the West Bank and that increasing numbers of Palestinians were being killed every day. She also said Palestinian detainees had been subjected to ill-treatment in detention centers.
Alongside the attacks in Gaza, attacks by the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank increased. During this period, 1,210 Palestinians were killed, 13,350 people were injured and 24,600 people were detained.
The UN spokesperson said the lack of accountability for violations in Palestine had already been chronic before October 2023 and had deteriorated further since then.
Call to halt arms and support
Shamdasani called for an end not only to arms supplies to Israel but also to the diplomatic and financial support that she said was fueling the war. She argued that this was an obligation arising from international law for all states.
