The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
“UN rights office warns any ground assault on Rafah would ‘heighten risk of further atrocity crimes’.”
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Friday that it fears that the already catastrophic situation in the Palestinian enclave “may slide deeper into the abyss” should Israel launch its threatened military offensive in Gaza’s border town of Rafah.
“Any ground assault on Rafah would incur massive loss of life and would heighten the risk of further atrocity crimes,” said Jeremy Laurence, OHCHR’s spokesperson when briefing reporters at the United Nations in Geneva. “This must not be allowed to happen.”
In Rafah, 1,5 million people have been displaced in deplorable, subhuman conditions, said Mr. Laurence. “We fear that this already catastrophic situation may slide deeper into the abyss, as many Palestinians mark the holy month of Ramadan, a period that is meant to honor peace and tolerance.”
OHCHR is also concerned about further Israeli restrictions to grant Palestinians access to East Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan which commences on Sunday and which could further inflame tensions.
As the Gaza conflict enters on Friday its sixth month, Mr. Laurence stressed that “since the 7th of October, parties to this conflict have paid little heed to international law that protects human rights and governs the conduct of hostilities. This has been a stain on the collective conscience of humanity.”
The Human Rights Office repeated that there must be an immediate end to this conflict, the killing and destruction must stop. It also reminded that the hostages, who have now endured over 150 days of suffering and torment, must be released unconditionally, and returned to their families.
On Friday, the UN Human Rights Office published a report on the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that detailed the drastic acceleration in settlement buildings as an exacerbating long-standing pattern of oppression, violence and discrimination against Palestinians.
“The report also highlights the dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, particularly since 7th October 2023,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR’s Office for the occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). “This violence is accelerating Palestinians displacement from their land”.
The report finds that the current Israeli Government's policies “appear aligned, to an unprecedented extent, with the goals of the Israeli settler movement to expand long-term control over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to steadily integrate this occupied territory into the State of Israel.”
The report which covers the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023 concluded that the size of existing Israeli settlements has expanded markedly. About 24,300 housing units within existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank were advanced during this period, the highest on record since monitoring began in 2017. This included approximately 9,670 units in East Jerusalem.
“We remind Israel that the transfer of population of an occupying power into occupied territory, or the forcible transfer of the population within or from occupied territory, or the annexation of territory by use of force are all strictly prohibited. Officials and others involved in such conduct risk individual criminal liability,” noted Ajith Sunghay.
According to reports, Israel plans to build a further 3,476 settler homes in the illegal settlements of Maale Adumim, Efrat and Kedar in further violation of international law.
-ends-
STORY: Gaza update and Israeli settlement report – OHCHR
TRT: 2:10”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 8 March 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley at the United Nations Office in Geneva
- Wide shot: Spokespersons at the podium and journalists in Press briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “We fear that this already catastrophic situation may slide deeper into the abyss, as many Palestinians mark the holy month of Ramadan, a period that is meant to honor peace and tolerance.”
- Medium shot: Journalists in press room with speaker at podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “Any ground assault on Rafah would incur massive loss of life and would heighten the risk of further atrocity crimes. This must not be allowed to happen.”
- Medium shot: UN staff working in press room booths
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “Since the 7th of October, parties to this conflict have paid little heed to international law that protects human rights and governs the conduct of hostilities. This has been a stain on the collective conscience of humanity.”
- Wide shot: Journalists in press room with speaker on screen and spokesperson at the podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ajith Sunghay, Head of OHCHR’s Office for the OPT (from East Jerusalem): “The report also highlights the dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, particularly since 7th October 2023. This violence is accelerating Palestinians displacement from their land.”
- Medium shot: Spokespersons at the podium with speaker on screen
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ajith Sunghay, Head of OHCHR’s Office for the OPT (from East Jerusalem): “We remind Israel that the transfer of population of an occupying power into occupied territory, or the forcible transfer of the population within or from occupied territory, or the annexation of territory by use of force are all strictly prohibited. Officials and others involved in such conduct risk individual criminal liability.”
- Close up: Camerawoman filming
- Close up: Journalist listening
- Wide shot: Journalists in press room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
UN aid teams prepared to enter northern Gaza at the weekend to resume a mass polio vaccination campaign, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
Lebanon: widescale displacement continues amid ongoing bombing
In south and east Lebanon civilians continue to face airstrikes, mass forced displacement and deprivation as the fight between Israel and Hezbollah militia goes on against the backdrop of war in Gaza.
In recent days, an estimated 50,000 people have left Baalbek heading mostly to areas in the north of the Bekaa Valley, said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Escalating violence in Sudan’s Al-Jazirah State adds to the dire displacement crisis in the country
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
Publication of the Trade and Development Report 2024: Rethinking Development in the Age of Discontent
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OCHA , UNICEF , WHO , OHCHR
‘If UNRWA can’t operate, humanitarian system in Gaza will collapse’ – UN
The UN humanitarian and human rights community reacted forcefully on Tuesday to the vote by the Israeli Knesset banning the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), warning of the devastating impact on millions of Palestinians who depend on it.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
New data released by the UN on Monday indicating that greenhouse gases have hit a record high shows once again that urgent action and not words is needed from the world’s major polluters to protect us all from climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) insisted.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF , UNHCR
Gaza’s sick and injured face new attacks on health care, lethal evacuation delays – UN humanitarians
Amid reports of a new Israeli military raid on a Gaza hospital on Friday morning - and ongoing hostilities hindering polio vaccination in the north of the Strip - UN humanitarians pleaded again for the protection of health facilities and urgent medical evacuation of critically ill patients.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA
Ukraine's birthrate plummets amid war, prompting a new demographic strategy.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers determined to stay in south Lebanon, while humanitarians report more civilian suffering in Gaza and West Bank
UN peacekeepers are keeping their positions in South Lebanon despite heavy shelling and targeted attacks; their commitment to bringing back stability to the region is unwavering, the UN said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Volker Türk calls on Tunisia to uphold rule of law and democratic freedoms, following pre-electoral context marred by human rights concerns
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today called on the Tunisian authorities to protect the country’s democratic processes and uphold fundamental freedoms after a presidential campaign marred by a crackdown on the opposition, independent activists and journalists.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNICEF , OHCHR
With no let-up to the ongoing Israel-Lebanon conflict, the UN human rights office on Tuesday called for an independent probe into an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment block in northern Lebanon a day earlier that left a reported 22 dead.
1
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Amid reports of intensifying Israeli bombing in Lebanon and Gaza overnight and continuing Hezbollah rocket fire into Israel, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, called on Friday for an end to the “killing, destruction [and] bellicose posturing” by those in power.