2024-04-08 10:08:30
The UN Department for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) defended this Friday that all Member States “can and should” use their influence, “through diplomatic and economic pressure”, to stop violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
At a meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on the situation in Gaza, the director of the OCHA Coordination Division, Ramesh Rajasingham, suggested that UN Member States, in addition to diplomatic and economic pressure, condition exports of weapons to compliance with the rules of war and cooperation in the fight against impunity.
Referring to the enormous impact of this war on humanitarian work, with more than 220 humanitarian workers killed and 179 UN employees, Rajasingham drew attention to the recent attack on the World Central Kitchen organization, which this week saw seven of its members killed in a Israeli attack.
Netanyahu admits that army “unintentionally” killed aid workers
These workers, who were described by the UN as “courageous and selfless”, ended up dead after unloading more than 100 tons of essential life-saving products in Gaza, and despite having informed the Israeli army about their movements.
“Unfortunately, we cannot say that this tragic attack was an isolated incident in this conflict. (…) I echo the Secretary-General’s deep concerns about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing. Allegations of serious violations must be investigated and suspects prosecuted”, argued Rajasingham.
2024-04-08 10:08:30