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 | UNICEF , OCHA
Gaza: After Security Council vote humanitarians urge aid scale-up as winter rains hit families hard
Following the UN Security Council’s Monday endorsement of a US peace plan for Gaza, UN humanitarians urged prioritizing aid access under the scheme as severe rains and flooding deepened Palestinian suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNMAS , WHO
Just how many people are still trapped in the Sudanese city of El Fasher?
That’s the burning question for relatives of the many thousands of people believed to still be there, since paramilitary fighters overran the regional capital of North Darfur last month, after a 500-day siege.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks on the ongoing violence in the occupied WestBank.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk made the following remarks on the situation in El-Fasher, Sudan.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
UN Human Rights Council holds special session on Sudan as mass atrocities reported in El Fasher
The UN Human Rights Council convened an emergency session on Friday on the situation in and around El Fasher, Sudan, following reports of mass killings in the North Darfur capital. States passed a resolution that will mandate an investigation into likely mass atrocities during the capture of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 October.
1
1
2
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Sudan: Women’s bodies ‘a crime scene’ as tens of thousands flee El Fasher atrocities – UN Women
In war-torn Sudan, rape is being systematically used as a weapon and simply being a woman is “a strong predictor” of hunger, violence and death, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday called for an end to continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where “unchecked” settler violence has surged since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
The crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to worsen amid ongoing fighting that has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and created acute hunger, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.