Latest news with #JeremyLaurence
Middle East Eye
8 hours ago
- General
- Middle East Eye
UN: Gaza aid attacks by Israel may be war crimes
The UN human rights office has warned that blocking food and aid from reaching civilians in Gaza could amount to a war crime. It called the repeated attacks on people seeking assistance 'unconscionable'. 'For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation',' said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for UN rights chief Volker Turk, during a briefing in Geneva. At least 27 Palestinians were killed and many more wounded after Israeli forces opened fire near a food distribution point in Rafah, according to Gaza's health ministry. The Israeli military claimed those shot had moved outside designated aid routes. Tuesday's deaths marked the third consecutive day of bloodshed at aid centres. The UN says 32 people were killed on 1 June, and three more on Monday. Turk has demanded a 'prompt, independent and impartial investigation' into the killings. 'Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime,' he said in a statement.
Reuters
10 hours ago
- General
- Reuters
Wilful restriction on Gaza food aid may constitute war crime, says UN rights office
GENEVA, June 3 (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that the wilful impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as unconscionable. "For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'," the spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva. At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah. On June 1, some 32 people were killed and on Monday three people were killed, according to the OHCHR. The head of the U.N. agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into attacks on Palestinians trying to receive food aid. "Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime," Turk said in a statement. The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".
Asharq Al-Awsat
10 hours ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Wilful Restriction on Food Aid in Gaza May Constitute War Crime, Says UN Rights Office
The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as unconscionable. "For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured," the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva. At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Wilful restriction on Gaza food aid may constitute war crime, says UN rights office
Workers load aid on a plane to Egypt for the people of Gaza, at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 19, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri/File Photo GENEVA - The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that the wilful impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as unconscionable. "For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'," the spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva. At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah. On June 1, some 32 people were killed and on Monday three people were killed, according to the OHCHR. The head of the U.N. agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into attacks on Palestinians trying to receive food aid. "Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime," Turk said in a statement. The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site". REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Willful restriction on food aid in Gaza may constitute war crime, says UN rights office
The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as unconscionable. 'For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured,' the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva. Developing
