‘Extremely high' risk of serious abuses amid expanded Israel Gaza operation: UN
'It seemed the nightmare couldn't possibly get worse. And yet it does...Given the concentration of civilians in the area, and the means and methods of warfare employed by Israel until now, the risks of unlawful killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian law are extremely high,' Volker Turk, the head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights said on Tuesday in a statement.
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Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
UN aid chief demands evidence after Israel accuses staff of links to Hamas
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Palestinian militants Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Friday. At a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon declared that Fletcher and OCHA were no longer neutral and that hundreds of OCHA employees would undergo security vetting. Israel would also restrict OCHA visas to one month, he said. 'Israel has uncovered clear evidence of Hamas affiliation within OCHA's ranks,' Danon told the 15-member council without providing evidence. In a letter to the Security Council on Thursday, Fletcher said Danon's remarks were the first time any such concern had been raised and that the accusations were 'extremely serious and have security implications for our staff.' 'I expect the Israeli authorities to immediately share any evidence that led them to make such claims to the council,' Fletcher said. He noted that around the world OCHA engages with all parties to armed conflict to secure humanitarian access, press for the protection of civilians and promote respect for humanitarian principles, adding: 'As Israeli authorities know, our contacts with Hamas have also supported hostage releases.' Israel is committed to helping civilians and getting aid to those in need, Danon said, though he warned: 'We will not work with organizations that have chosen politics over principles.' The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins. 'We must hold all parties to the standards of international law in this conflict,' Fletcher wrote in his letter. 'We do not choose between demanding the end to the starvation of civilians in Gaza and demanding the unconditional release of all the hostages.' Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for shortages of food.


Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
UK's Keir Starmer condemns Israel in strongest terms yet as pressure mounts for Palestine recognition
LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned Israel with his strongest comments yet, as pressure mounts within and outside the government for Britain to formally recognize a Palestinian state. Starmer's remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would recognize a Palestinian state, and as the two leaders, along with Germany's Friedrich Merz, were set to hold an emergency call on the issue. 'The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,' the UK prime minister said. For the first time with reference to Israel, his statement failed to mention the country's right to defend itself, or the hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups. Starmer 'appeared to have lost his patience with Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government,' The Independent said, adding that the PM 'appeared to be on the cusp of being prepared to recognize a Palestinian state.' The political movement among major European countries is taking place as Israel faces mounting global anger over its actions in Gaza. Starvation in the enclave has reportedly surged in recent weeks, with at least 113 hunger-related deaths being recorded, including 82 children, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military has also killed scores of Palestinians queuing for food at designated aid sites operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US charity backed by Israel that is attempting to supersede Gaza's existing UN-operated aid system. Starmer added in his statement: 'I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they (Palestinians) desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. 'We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay.' Starmer has faced significant pressure this week from within his own Labour Party, including Cabinet ministers, as well as from trade unions and academics, to recognize a Palestinian state. He added: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said yesterday that recognition would lead to 'multiple benefits' and send a 'strong message' to the Netanyahu government. She is one of several government ministers who have privately urged Starmer to recognize a Palestinian state in recent months. The issue has also been raised at regular Cabinet meetings. Mahmood, the most senior Muslim politician in the UK, told The Times that though pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza was 'the most urgent thing of all,' Palestinian statehood represented the 'best mechanism to get us through a peace process.' In its manifesto for last year's general election, the ruling Labour Party pledged to recognize Palestine once in office. Labour's Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, also urged the government to follow France's lead. He warned that there could be no two-state solution — a longtime policy target of British governments — if 'there is no viable state left to call Palestine.' Another Labour politician, Emily Thornberrry, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, also urged Starmer to act. The UK's actions in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict have 'time and time again … come too little, too late,' she wrote in an opinion piece for The Independent on Friday. Thornberry highlighted the potential of the major joint Saudi-French conference on the two-state solution, set to begin in New York next week. After addressing Parliament on a visit to London last week, Macron met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, delivering a letter that said he would formally recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. The French president was 'right' to do so, Thornberry said. 'A unified move by the signatories to the secret Sykes-Picot agreement which carved up the Middle East more than a century ago would demonstrate our sincere commitment to a two-state solution,' she added. 'The natural reaction of the British public to the scenes of starvation and death in Gaza is to call on their politicians to do something. The challenge for politicians is to ensure that what they do makes a real difference. 'The recognition of Palestine as part of a renewed commitment by the UK to work with others to build a peace process would be just that.'


Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Jewish group welcomes local English council backing of Gaza ceasefire and friendship links
LONDON: A Jewish advocacy group has praised an English local council's recognition of 'friendship links' with the Gazan town of Al-Mawasi as 'an important act of solidarity' after councilors passed a motion backing an immediate ceasefire in the region, it was reported on Friday. Last week, Hastings Borough Council voted to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to arms sales to Israel and continued support for its civic ties with Al-Mawasi, an area in southern Gaza that was declared a safe zone by the Israeli military in December 2023, but has since faced repeated attacks. Hastings Jews for Justice welcomed the move. 'We stand with the Palestinians in Gaza who are being slaughtered and starved right now, and we demand immediate action of our politicians,' they said. 'We applaud all the councilors who chose to stand on the right side of history and used their voice and their vote to fight these crimes against humanity. 'And we reject the idea, shared by several Labour councillors during the debate, that standing up for a people facing genocide is an attack on Jewish people in our community or 'divisive',' they added. The motion, which had been attempted several times over the past 21 months, passed following the local elections that changed the council's political makeup. It was carried by a majority of 14 Green and Hastings Independent Group councilors, with three voting against and 11 abstentions, mostly from Labour. Proposing the motion, Green Party councilor Yunis Smith said: 'We must ask ourselves, when the dust settles, will we have done enough? Will we be able to say that we stood up even when it was difficult? 'Or will we, like generations before us, say that we saw the signs and still we did nothing?' Smith added: 'From one coastal town to another, we've shown that solidarity, dignity and human connection shine brighter than cruelty. Al-Mawasi, like Hastings, is defined not just by its land but by the resilience of its people. 'They survive, endure and beckon us to witness their struggle and their strength.' The friendship between the two communities has been fostered by Hastings Friends of Al-Mawasi, which has developed a language exchange and solidarity program in recent years. The group said there has been a 'marked escalation of threatening and abusive behavior' in the town toward those expressing support for Palestine. Hastings has now joined a growing list of UK councils that have formally called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Hastings Jews for Justice added: 'This is an important act of solidarity with a people who are being made to suffer in the most horrific ways imaginable and we are determined to show that as British Jews it is not in our names.' Council leader Glen Haffenden of the Greens has reportedly received more correspondence from constituents on the issue than on any other since being elected. Meanwhile, Sussex Police have launched an investigation following reports that a woman was assaulted while wearing a keffiyeh at the De La Warr Pavilion in nearby Bexhill.