logo
‘Extremely high' risk of serious abuses amid expanded Israel Gaza operation: UN

‘Extremely high' risk of serious abuses amid expanded Israel Gaza operation: UN

Straits Times3 days ago
Find out what's new on ST website and app.
UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israeli airstrikes and ground operations will invariably lead to further civilian deaths and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
GENEVA - The United Nations warned on July 22 that
Israel's expanded operations in central Gaza created an 'extremely high' risk of serious international law violations.
It also cautioned that permanently displacing Gaza's population would be a war crime and possibly a crime against humanity.
'These Israeli airstrikes and ground operations will invariably lead to further civilian deaths and destruction of civilian infrastructure,' UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
'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.'
Deir el-Balah came under intense shelling on July 21, a day after
Israel's military ordered residents to leave , warning of imminent action in an area where it had not previously operated.
Between 50,000 and 80,000 people were in the area when the evacuation order was issued, according to initial estimates from the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA.
'The latest Israeli displacement orders, followed by intensive attacks on southwestern Deir el-Balah... have added more misery to the suffering of hungry Palestinians,' Mr Turk said.
'It seemed the nightmare couldn't possibly get worse. And yet it does.'
The UN high commissioner for human rights highlighted that the area targeted by the latest attacks was 'also home to several humanitarian organisations, including clinics, other medical facilities, shelters, a community kitchen, guesthouses, warehouses and other critical infrastructure'.
At the same time, he pointed out that 'homes have already been destroyed, and thousands have been forced to flee the area again'.
'Their only choice is to go to the ever-shrinking areas of Gaza where hundreds of thousands are being forced to gather, rendering difficult any attempt to deliver humanitarian assistance,' he said, stressing that 'even these areas are not safe'.
'I remind Israel that permanently displacing people living under its occupation would amount to unlawful transfer, which is a war crime, and in certain circumstances, may also amount to a crime against humanity.'
Mr Turk stressed that 'Israel, as the occupying power, must ensure food, medical and other supplies are provided for the population'.
'And instead of launching round upon round of new military attacks, there must be an immediate end to the killings, destruction and the wide scale violations of international law,' he insisted.
'More and more countries are joining the calls to shake us out of this nightmare.' AFP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ukraine facing fierce fighting around eastern city of Pokrovsk, Zelensky says
Ukraine facing fierce fighting around eastern city of Pokrovsk, Zelensky says

Straits Times

time29 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Ukraine facing fierce fighting around eastern city of Pokrovsk, Zelensky says

Find out what's new on ST website and app. A May 2025 photo shows Ukrainian officials who evacuate people from front-line towns and villages in Pokrovsk, in Ukraine's Donetsk region. KYIV - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 25 that Ukrainian forces were facing fierce fighting around the city of Pokrovsk in the east, a logistics hub near which Russia has been announcing the capture of villages on an almost daily basis. Mr Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said Ukraine's top commander, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, told a meeting of senior officials that the situation around Pokrovsk was the current focal point of its attention in the war, which began when Russia invaded in February 2022. 'All operational directions were covered, with particular focus on Pokrovsk. It receives the most attention,' Mr Zelensky said. Ukrainian forces, he said, were also 'continuing to act' in border areas in the northern Sumy region, where Russian troops have gained a foothold in recent weeks. Gen Syrskyi, in a separate report on the Telegram messaging app, described Pokrovsk and five other sectors as among the most difficult theatres along the 1,000km front. 'The Russian Federation is paying the maximum price for attempting a 'summer offensive',' Gen Syrskyi wrote. Russian forces have for months been trying to close in on Pokrovsk, a road and rail hub whose pre-war population of about 60,000 has been all but evacuated. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict continues Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Gen Syrskyi in May reported that Kyiv's troops had stabilised the situation around the town, also the site of the only colliery in Ukraine producing coking coal for the country's steel industry. Russia's Defence Ministry on July 24 announced the capture of two villages on either side of Pokrovsk - Zvirove to the west and Novoekonomichne to the east. A third village near the city - Novotoretske - was declared by Moscow to be 'liberated' earlier in the week. Ukrainian officials have made no acknowledgement that the villages have changed hands. The General Staff of Ukraine's military said in an evening report that two of them - Zvirove and Novoekonomichne - were in areas where Russian troops were trying to penetrate Ukrainian defences. In the Sumy region, where Russian troops are trying to establish what Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin calls a 'buffer zone', the popular Ukrainian military blog DeepState said Kyiv's forces had retaken a previously lost village. DeepState, which relies on open source reports to track the presence of Russian forces, said Ukrainian troops had restored control over the village of Kindrativka. There was no official comment from either side. REUTERS

Fake AI photos of Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein flood internet
Fake AI photos of Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein flood internet

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Fake AI photos of Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein flood internet

Find out what's new on ST website and app. A billboard in New York's Times Square on July 23, featuring late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calls for the release of the Epstein files. WASHINGTON - Fake AI-generated photos and videos purporting to show Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein socialising with underage girls have flooded social media, racking up millions of views, researchers said July 25. The surge in deepfakes comes as the US president – frequently photographed with Epstein during their 15-year friendship – attempts to distance himself from the disgraced financier, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. One widely circulated AI-generated video appears to show Trump and Epstein leering at a group of young girls dancing, with the song Is It A Crime? by the English band Sade added as background music. At least two other fake photos appear to show the pair on a couch alongside underaged girls. Another such photograph purports to shows Mr Trump dancing with a teenage girl on Epstein's private island. Overlaying the image is the caption: 'Trump was in his 50s when this was taken. What kind of man does that?' At least seven such AI-generated images and one video cumulatively garnered more than 7.2 million views across social media platforms, according to a conservative estimate by disinformation watchdog group NewsGuard. The watchdog said it used multiple detection tools, including Hive and IdentifAI, to establish that the content was fabricated using AI tools and the actual number of views was likely much higher than its manual tally of high-engagement posts. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict enters second day Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Mr Trump's ties to Epstein are extensive, and the pair were frequently pictured partying together during their friendship before they fell out in 2004 over a property deal. But there appear to be no known authentic photographs of the pair with underage girls or of Mr Trump visiting Epstein's private island in the Caribbean, NewsGuard said. So-called AI slop – low-quality visual content generated using cheap and widely available artificial intelligence tools – increasingly appears to be flooding social media sites, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Many content creators on YouTube and TikTok offer paid courses on how to monetise viral AI slop on tech platforms, many of which have reduced their reliance on human fact-checkers and scaled back content moderation. AI-generated images of Mr Trump spread rapidly after the FBI and Justice Department said in a July 7 memo that there was no proof that Epstein kept a 'client list' of elite co-conspirators as conspiracy theorists have contended. Mr Trump's core Make America Great Again (MAGA) base erupted in anger over the memo, calling on the White House to release the so-called 'Epstein files.' Some even within the Republican president's own party have demanded the files be released, but his administration has declined to do so. Fake images appear to be gaining traction in that vacuum. The Wall Street Journal reported on July 23 that the president's name was among hundreds found during an official review of the files, though there has not been evidence of wrongdoing. Mr Trump filed a US$10 billion (S$12.8 billion) defamation suit against the newspaper last week after it reported that he had penned a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. AFP

Trump has not considered clemency for Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell
Trump has not considered clemency for Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Trump has not considered clemency for Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell

Find out what's new on ST website and app. A 2020 photo showing the announcement of charges against Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured (left) with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said on July 25 he has not considered granting a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even as her attorney indicated she would "welcome any relief." Mr Trump's remarks came as the White House is facing a political furore over Epstein's case and renewed questions over his past relationship with the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019. 'It's something I haven't thought about,' Mr Trump told reporters, when asked about the possibility of a pardon for Maxwell. 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about.' Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, after being found guilty in 2021 of helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. She is currently appealing her sentence. Maxwell completed a second day of interviews with Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche in Tallahassee, Florida, on July 25 after the Justice Department reached out to her lawyers to see if she had additional information about the case. Mr David Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell, told reporters she answered questions truthfully, but declined to detail what was discussed. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict enters second day Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly 'The truth will come out about what happened with Mr Epstein and she's the person who's answering those questions,' Mr Markus said. Mr Markus said Maxwell has not asked for anything from the US government in exchange for her testimony and has not held discussions about a pardon. But he added that Maxwell would 'welcome any relief,' deploring her treatment in federal prison. The role of Mr Blanche, the second-highest ranking official at the Justice Department and a former personal lawyer to Mr Trump, was unusual. Senior officials typically do not personally conduct investigative interviews. More information Mr Trump has been under growing pressure from his supporters and political opponents to release more information about the Justice Department's investigation into Epstein, the disgraced financier who officials ruled died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. After Attorney-General Pam Bondi earlier this year promised to release additional materials related to possible Epstein clients and the circumstances surrounding his death, the Justice Department reversed course this month and issued a memo concluding there was no basis to continue investigating and no evidence of a client list. Those findings sparked an angry outcry from some of Mr Trump's base of supporters who have long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. Asked about the meeting between Mr Blanche and Maxwell, Mr Trump said on July 25 he wasn't aware of the details, only that it was taking place. He then pivoted to other claims, suggesting other high-profile figures should face scrutiny over their ties to Epstein. 'They don't talk about them. They talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy,' Mr Trump said. Mr Trump appeared with Epstein at social events in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mr Trump's name, along with many other high-profile individuals, appeared multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Mr Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store