GENEVA: A group of independent United Nations experts called on Thursday for a ‘humanitarian ceasefire’ in Gaza, saying time was running out for Palestinians there who are at “grave risk of genocide”.

“We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” the group of experts, made up of seven UN special rapporteurs, said in a statement.

“We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most.”

Asked about the independent experts’ statement at a press briefing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said a determination of genocide could only be made by a relevant UN judicial body.

On Oct 28, departing senior UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber wrote to the High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, saying: “We are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes, and the Organisation that we serve appears powerless to stop it.”

“We are using the term risk of genocide because the process that is (underway) is absolutely indiscriminate, affecting, in this case, more than 2 million people,” said Pedro Arrojo Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. “And in this sense, I think we are facing a risk of genocide, effectively.”

Aid supplies to Gaza have been choked since Israel began bombarding the densely populated enclave, with aid organisations saying it is nowhere near matching the needs of its residents.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2023