UN human rights chief Volker Turk has called for a stop to the bombardment in Gaza, adding that more attacks on what is now the primary humanitarian hub in the Gaza Strip were not the answer, AFP reports.
“Enough of the killing,” Turk said.
“There must be a ceasefire. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow freely and at scale. And the hostages and those arbitrarily detained must be released at once.”
Turk said two crossings into Rafah had been shut, halting the inflow of “meagre” levels of humanitarian aid.
He said there was no location outside of Rafah able to cope with the mass displacement of more than a million people.
“The experience of the past seven months shows Palestinians who remain in Rafah will continue to be at risk of death and injury, whether by indiscriminate bombing, unlawful killing, or loss of access to food, water and healthcare. This must not be allowed to happen,” said Turk.
His statement said international humanitarian law prohibited ordering the displacement of civilians for reasons related to a conflict unless the security of civilians were involved or imperative military reasons require it — and even then it is subject to strict legal requirements.
“Failure to meet these obligations may amount to forced displacement, which is a war crime,” the statement said.