The United Nations (UN) on Friday said 280,000 Gazans are estimated to have been newly displaced since the intensification of hostilities began in the region on March 18.
“Increasing numbers of people are moving into the remaining shelters, which are already overcrowded. Infestations of fleas and mites are reported, causing skin rashes and other health issues,” The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
OCHA says that addressing these challenges remains difficult due to the lack of necessary materials available in Gaza to implement vector control measures or improve hygiene conditions.
UN Rights Chief Warns
The recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers in Gaza raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Security Council on Thursday.
Ambassadors met for an emergency session to discuss the escalation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Rights chief Volker Türk said he was pained to brief the Council once again on the “catastrophic suffering of people in Gaza,” noting that “the temporary relief of the ceasefire, which gave Palestinians a moment to breathe, has been shattered.”
The UN rights chief reported, citing local health authorities, that since March 1, Israeli military operations have killed more than 1,200 Gazans, including at least 320 children, according.
Call For Investigation
Türk said he was appalled by the killing of the medical and humanitarian personnel.
“There must be an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the killings, and those responsible for any violation of international law must be held to account,” he said.
He highlighted that there is nowhere safe to go in Gaza amid ongoing bombardment. Furthermore, half of the territory is now under mandatory evacuation orders or has been declared a no-go zone.
At the same time, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continue to launch indiscriminate rockets from Gaza into Israel, in breach of international humanitarian law.
“I am also deeply concerned about the fate and well-being of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza,” he said.
Humanitarian Aid Blockade
Meanwhile, a month has passed since Israel imposed a complete blockade on vital humanitarian aid and supplies entering Gaza, including food, water, electricity, fuel and medicines.
“The blockade and siege imposed on Gaza amount to collective punishment and may also amount to the use of starvation as a method of war,” he said.
The UN rights chief was alarmed by the inflammatory rhetoric by senior Israeli officials around seizing, annexing and dividing territory, and about transferring Palestinians outside Gaza.
“This raises grave concerns about the commission of international crimes and runs counter to the fundamental principle of international law against the acquisition of territory by force,” he said.
(With inputs from IBNS)
