UN rights chief slams Israel’s conduct in Gaza as ‘unconscionable’

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has delivered a sharp rebuke of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, accusing it of causing “horrifying, unconscionable suffering” for Palestinians trapped in the besieged enclave.

“Israel’s means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza,” Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva during the presentation of his annual report.

He condemned the Israeli government for deliberately obstructing humanitarian aid and using starvation as a weapon of war.

“Israel has weaponised food and blocked lifesaving aid,” he said. “I urge immediate, impartial investigations into deadly attacks on desperate civilians trying to reach food distribution centres.”

Turk also expressed alarm over statements made by senior Israeli officials, warning that “disturbing, dehumanising rhetoric” from government figures bears chilling resemblance to the gravest crimes in recent memory.