People mourn victims killed during Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Feb. 12, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
The United Nations' (UN) Human Rights chief Volker Turk has strongly condemned recent Israeli strikes in Rafah that resulted in the deaths of many women and children.
In a statement on Tuesday, Turk also warned against a full-scale incursion into an area with over 1.2 million civilians, saying it would violate international humanitarian and human rights law, likely leading to more atrocities.
In March, the UN Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire, he stressed.
Moreover, he underscored the need for global solidarity to protect civilians in Rafah, recalling recent tragedies such as a premature baby delivered from a mother who had been mortally wounded in an air strike and the deaths of numerous children and women in separate strikes.
The UN human rights chief called for immediate actions to halt this suffering, calling for independent investigations into reports of mass graves and the destruction of medical facilities. He stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and unimpeded humanitarian aid.
‘The Blue Angels,’ filmed for IMAX, puts viewers in the ‘box’ with the elite flying squad
Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' review: Controlled but catchy dance pop
Deadly news helicopter crash likely caused by shaky inspections, leading to loose parts, feds say
Bills sign WR Chase Claypool, DE Dawuane Smoot and LB Deion Jones to 1
Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
Colorado school bus aide shown hitting autistic boy faces more charges
Bystander livestreams during Charlotte standoff show an ever
South Carolina court orders ACC to provide Clemson with ESPN agreements
Kristin Cavallari, 37, ignores critics of her age
Boeing threatens to lock out its private firefighters around Seattle in a dispute over pay
Analysis: Larson enters conversation with Verstappen as best drivers in the world
Judge says gun found in car of Myon Burrell, sentenced to life as teen, can be evidence in new case