The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
SCRIPT
The UN Human Rights Office today published a report saying justice must be served with respect to the grave violations of international law that have been committed in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The report details the horrific reality that has unfolded for the people of Israel and Gaza since 7 October 2023.
“This report provides a detailed analysis of grave human rights violations over the six-month period from November 2023 to April 2024, and broadly examines the killing of civilians and breaches of international law that in many instances could amount to war crimes,” said UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence, during the launch of the launch of the report at the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.
“If committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population, further to a State or organizational policy, these violations may constitute crimes against humanity. And if committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, they may also constitute genocide, the report warns,” he added.
For his part, Ajith Sunghay, the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, speaking from Amman, Jordan, said: “Gaza is now a rubble-strewn landscape.”
“Within this dystopia of destruction and devastation, those alive are left injured, displaced and starving. Women, men, children do not have access to adequate water, food or healthcare. People are left in cramped, unsanitary conditions, ridden with illness and disease. Women are left without access to basic hygiene and health needs. Children are separated from their parents,” he added.
“We have been verifying the personal details of those killed in Gaza by strikes, shelling and other conduct of hostilities. Of those fatalities, we have so far found close to 70 per cent to be children and women, indicating a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality,” he went on to say.
“Given the pattern of strikes throughout Gaza, and the fact they have not only killed and injured so many people, but also destroyed fundamental social structures and support networks of Palestinians in Gaza, they raise concerns that Israeli forces have intentionally attacked the very basic fabric of Palestinian society; have decimated the cohesion of Palestinian communities within Gaza,” he said.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence - +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or
Seif Magango: - +41 79 752 0488 / seif.magango@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence & Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, on Gaza
TRT: SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 8 NOVEMBER 2024
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot : Palais des Nations
- Cutaway : Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “This report provides a detailed analysis of grave human rights violations over the six-month period from November 2023 to April 2024, and broadly examines the killing of civilians and breaches of international law, that in many instances could amount to war crimes.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “If committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population, further to a State or organizational policy, these violations may constitute crimes against humanity. And if committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, they may also constitute genocide, the report warns.”
- Cutaway : Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “States have an obligations to act to prevent atrocity crimes, and we urge them to support the work of accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, in relation to the current conflict; to exercise universal jurisdiction to investigate and try crimes under international law in national courts, consistent with international standards; and to comply with extradition requests pertaining to suspects of such crimes to countries where they would receive a fair trial.”
- Cutaway : Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office for Occupied Palestinian Territory: “Gaza is now a rubble-strewn landscape.”
- Cutaway : Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office for Occupied Palestinian Territory: “Within this dystopia of destruction and devastation, those alive are left injured, displaced and starving. Women, men, children do not have access to adequate water, food or healthcare. People are left in cramped, unsanitary conditions, ridden with illness and disease. Women are left without access to basic hygiene and health needs. Children are separated from their parents.”
- Cutaway : Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office for Occupied Palestinian Territory: “We have been verifying the personal details of those killed in Gaza by strikes, shelling and other conduct of hostilities. Of those fatalities, we have so far found close to 70 per cent to be children and women, indicating a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality.”
- Cutaway : Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office for Occupied Palestinian Territory: “Given the pattern of strikes throughout Gaza, and the fact they have not only killed and injured so many people, but also destroyed fundamental social structures and support networks of Palestinians in Gaza, they raise concerns that Israeli forces have intentionally attacked the very basic fabric of Palestinian society; have decimated the cohesion of Palestinian communities within Gaza.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council, delivering a video statement on the strike that hit a girls school in Minab, Iran recently, calling for accountability and protection of children.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A new UN Human Rights report published on Tuesday details the human rights impacts of the expanding reach of gangs in Haiti. According to data verified by the Office, at least 5,519 people were killed in Haiti, and 2,608 were injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Marta Hurtado on Tuesday described the deadly impact of drone strikes in Sudan.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Sudan: Hospital strike highlights surge in drone attacks on civilians
The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur has risen further, amid a “sharp increase” in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNCTAD
Middle East conflict impacts global trade, raising oil and commodity prices due to disruptions.