CAIRO (25 April 2024)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Occupied Palestinian Territory is enveloped in a spiral of unstoppable violence, with stories Palestinians and other witnesses relay adding new depths to atrocities the world has witnessed since the beginning of Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza over six months ago, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese said today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pace and intensity with which this violence has spread to the rest of the occupied territory confirms that no Palestinian is safe under Israel\u2019s unfettered control,\u201d Albanese said, concluding a visit to Egypt and Jordan.<\/p>\n
The Special Rapporteur said Israel had once again arbitrarily denied her access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, compelling her to report on the situation of Palestinians under occupation from neighbouring states.<\/p>\n
Albanese said her visit demonstrated that the situation in Gaza is worse than previously assessed, with serious and multi-layered long-term implications. Most victims she met had endured catastrophic injuries, witnessed family members killed and experienced the effects of Israel\u2019s destruction of Gaza\u2019s health infrastructure, even after 26 January 2024, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a\u00a0ruling<\/a>\u00a0ordering Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n Patients that previously arrived in Egypt primarily with explosive and war injury-related symptoms are now joined by patients with chronic diseases and\/or malnutrition, especially children, arising from Israel\u2019s intentional humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cPhotos from a mere eight months ago show a chubby-cheeked 8-year-old Hamid, now rake thin and spending his days in excruciating pain due to pancreatitis developed through the harsh conditions of the siege,\u201d the Special Rapporteur said.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who have left Gaza come out fractured and wracked by \u2018survivors\u2019 guilt\u2019 and severe trauma,\u201d Albanese said. \u201cJust 50 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip, crucial, life-sustaining aid and goods, including water desalination equipment, first aid kits, oxygen cylinders and portable toilets \u2013 paid for by taxpayers across the world \u2013 languish in warehouses, barred entry into Gaza on the pretext of use by combatants.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHumanitarian measures implemented so far \u2013 airdrops and maritime corridors \u2013 are a mere palliative for what is desperately needed and legally due,\u201d the expert said. \u201cThese measures are grossly inadequate to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe that Israel\u2019s assault has created.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, Israel has reneged on its international obligations to a degree that warrants a call for sanctions,\u201d Albanese said.<\/p>\n The Special Rapporteur said her visit only confirmed how critical the UN Relief and Works Agency\u2019s mandate is to Palestinians and people across the region as Palestinians once more flee to safety.<\/p>\n \u201cSurrounding countries cannot alone absorb the impact of Israel\u2019s pernicious practices of killing and displacement from Gaza,\u201d Albanese said, calling for the supply chain of support to be mainstreamed through the UN Humanitarian Coordinator. \u201cThis will alleviate responsibility for Egypt and the Egyptian people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Albanese reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire, an end to Israel\u2019s illegal control of Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory and a protective presence to ensure peace and stability in the region.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is critically important that the UN assumes full responsibility of humanitarian operations in accordance with Security Council resolution 2720,\u201d the Special Rapporteur said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe horrors that people have seen in Gaza are unspeakable,\u201d Albanese said. \u201cBut this visit also confirms that attention on the worsening situation in the West Bank including East Jerusalem has lapsed.\u201d Increased restrictions and abuses, arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killings by Israeli soldiers and armed settlers alike are widely reported.<\/p>\n \u201cIsraeli policies spanning the occupied Palestinian territory are unquestionably endangering Palestinian existence on their land,\u201d she said. \u201cThe focus of the international community must zero-in on the most likely implication \u2013 the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians \u2013 and States must do everything in their power to prevent it.\u201d<\/p>\n Albanese said she had undertaken the devastating experience of meeting with Palestinians from Gaza and recording their testimonies, trusting that UN member states will act to end the slaughter and ensure accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cStates must insist on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and impose sanctions on Israel to avoid further calamity,\u201d the Special Rapporteur said.<\/p>\n A full report is to follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CAIRO (25 April 2024) The Occupied Palestinian Territory is enveloped in a spiral of unstoppable violence, with stories Palestinians and other witnesses relay adding new depths to atrocities the world has witnessed since the beginning of Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza over six months ago, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca 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