“Too many civilians have already lost their lives in Gaza. Too many women, too many children, in what was, without a doubt, an avoidable situation, it’s time to bring this to a halt.”
UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, has raised concern about violations against Palestinians at the hands of Israeli forces, saying the video of the young man strapped to the hood of a military vehicle in the West Bank was “truly horrific.”
“We’re horrified at every violation,” Dujarric said in response to a question at a UN press briefing on Thursday, regarding Israel’s attacks against Palestinians that violate international humanitarian law.
“I think the video of the Palestinian man strapped on top of the military jeep was truly horrific, and there needs to be accountability for that behavior,” he stated.
Last Saturday, a video showing a wounded Mujahid Al-Abadi, 24, tied to the front of a military jeep in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin was circulated on social media. He had been shot and then beaten by Israeli soldiers before they drove through the Jabriyat neighborhood with Al-Abadi strapped to the vehicle.
The incident sparked widespread condemnation with the Israeli soldiers accused of using Al-Abadi as a human shield.
On the news of a baby who died on Thursday in an Israeli bombing in Gaza, Dujarric said: “I think that the other case of the baby is just one example of tragically many, many people, young, old any age who continue to suffer and who continue to die in this conflict until the parties agree to halt this conflict.”
‘Enough is Enough’
For his part, the UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis lamented the killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, saying the “avoidable situation” in the enclave should be brought to hold.
“Enough is enough,” Francis said in an interview with Anadolu. “Too many civilians have already lost their lives in Gaza. Too many women, too many children, in what was, without a doubt, an avoidable situation, it’s time to bring this to a halt.”
Francis said the ceasefire was “important, among other things, because hopefully, it will, in some way, engender a political process that could and should result in the adoption of a two-state solution.
Gaza Genocide – Three Medics Killed, Fuel Shortage Brings 18 Ambulances to a Halt
“This cycle of bloodletting, mayhem, destruction is not sustainable,” he stressed.
He cautioned that the situation in Gaza will bring “more hate, more destruction, more pain, more suffering, more psychological dislocation,” adding that “It has to stop.”
“It has to stop,” said Francis, calling for efforts to bring peace.
Role of UN
Asked about the perceived failure of the UN to halt the conflict in Gaza, Francis said there has been a failure, but added that the failure has not been that of the UN or the General Assembly.
Highlighting that the General Assembly was the first UN organ to pass a ceasefire resolution on Gaza, in October 2023, he said “Now we have had to make these calls repeatedly because the war continued to be prosecuted.”
He added: “That’s a decision made by the warring parties. So, to the extent that there has been a failure, there’s been a failure to follow the edicts of the General Assembly, the 193 states that make up the General Assembly, and there has been a failure to some degree on the part of the Security Council to pass an early, strong, decisive resolution on Gaza,” said the president.
“The failure does not belong to the UN, as frustrating as it has been for the UN, because the UN’s brand is always peace,” he said.
‘Desperate Need’ – UNRWA
Meanwhile, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued a warning about the urgent need for health care in the Gaza Strip.
“People in Gaza desperately need healthcare. Only a fraction of UNRWA health centers are operational,” the agency said on X on Thursday.
UNRWA emphasized that its teams in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, continue to serve families, “but a severe shortage of medicine and fuel is hampering lifesaving operations.”
“Safe and sustained aid access can’t wait any longer,” it added.
People in #Gaza desperately need healthcare. Only a fraction of @UNRWA health centres are operational.
Our teams in Nuseirat continue to serve families, but a severe shortage of medicine & fuel is hampering lifesaving operations. Safe & sustained aid access can’t wait any longer pic.twitter.com/p1W5AagO0j
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 27, 2024
Over 37,700 Killed
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,765 Palestinians have been killed, and 86,429 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
(PC, Anadolu)
