GENEVA: The UN rights chief said the “darkest moment” of the conflict in Gaza was unfolding in the north of the territory, warning Friday that Israel’s actions could amount to “atrocity crimes.”
Volker Turk pointed out that already “more than 150,000 people are reportedly dead, wounded or missing in Gaza” since the war there erupted just over a year ago.
“Unimaginably, the situation is getting worse by the day,” he said.
“My gravest fear is, given the intensity, breadth, scale and blatant nature of the Israeli operation currently underway in North Gaza, that number will rise dramatically.”
Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that Israel’s policies in northern Gaza “risk emptying the area of all Palestinians.”
“We are facing what could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity.”
He called on the world’s leaders to act, stressing that all states are obligated under the Geneva Conventions to ensure respect for international humanitarian law.
His statement stressed the urgency of the situation, warning that “today the darkest moment of the Gaza conflict is unfolding in the north of the Strip, where the Israeli military is effectively subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege and risk of starvation.”
“The bombing in North Gaza is non-stop,” he said.
At the same time, “the Israeli military has ordered hundreds of thousands to move, with no guarantees of return. But there is no safe way to leave,” he warned.
The UN rights chief cautioned that there was “extremely limited access to this part of Gaza, (and) next to no aid has reached the area in weeks, with unlawful restrictions remaining.”
“Many are now facing starvation.”
At the same time, he said, “the Israeli military is striking hospitals, and staff and patients have been killed and injured or forced to evacuate simultaneously.”
Turk’s statement pointed out that Palestinian armed groups also reportedly continue to operate among civilians, including in places of shelter, putting civilians in harm’s way “which is totally unacceptable.”
‘Darkest moment’ of war unfolding in northern Gaza: UN rights chief
https://arab.news/yhzq2
‘Darkest moment’ of war unfolding in northern Gaza: UN rights chief
- Volker Turk pointed out that already “more than 150,000 people are reportedly dead, wounded or missing in Gaza”
- “Unimaginably, the situation is getting worse by the day“
Gaza’s ceasefire had some momentum. Now, some fear a new war will distract the world
- Residents say they are scared of neglect and deprivation, with Israel in the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over 2 million people
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Some Palestinians say they fear the widening war sparked by US and Israeli attacks against Iran could overshadow the fragile situation in Gaza, just over a week after US President Donald Trump rallied billions of dollars in pledges for the territory’s reconstruction and tried to nudge a ceasefire forward.
Residents say they are scared of neglect and deprivation, with Israel in the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over 2 million people.
Palestinians told The Associated Press they were rushing to markets, haunted by memories of painful food scarcity last year under months of Israel’s blockade. Part of Gaza, around Gaza City, was found to be in famine.
“When the crossings shut down, everything was suspended from the market,” said Osamda Hanoda from Khan Younis. “The prices go up, and people live in misery.”
Reports show prices of goods rising sharply
The shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire had led to more humanitarian aid and other supplies entering Gaza, even as the United Nations and aid partners say more of everything from basic medical supplies to fuel is needed.
Now, Palestinians are hoarding again, with reports of prices rising sharply for basic goods such as bags of flour.
“We are afraid of not finding milk” and diapers for the kids, or food and water, said Hassan Zanoun, who was displaced from Rafah.
COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, did not respond to a request for comment Sunday. In its announcement of the closings, it asserted that the food supply inside the territory “is expected to suffice for an extended period.” It added that the rotation of humanitarian workers in and out of Gaza is postponed.
It was not clear when any crossing might reopen. Israeli authorities focused on Iran, and citizens dashed repeatedly for shelter as sirens wailed.
Ramadan is disrupted
The war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and it’s been marked from the start by restrictions on people and supplies being allowed into the territory — and terrified people, including medical evacuees in need of treatment, getting out.
A month ago, Gaza’s main Rafah border crossing with the outside world — its only crossing not with Israel — reopened, allowing a small and tightly controlled flow of Palestinian traffic in both directions. No cargo was allowed through.
Now all crossings are closed again in the middle of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of chosen deprivation, evening feasts and prayer. Images have shown Palestinians lined up at long tables in the middle of bombed-out debris.
The strikes on Iran shook that routine.
“All the people rushed to markets, and they all wanted to shop and hide,” said Abeer Awwad, who was displaced from Gaza City, as word of the explosions in Tehran began to spread.
Under the Oct. 10 US-brokered ceasefire, the heaviest fighting has subsided, though regular Israeli fire continues in Gaza. The UN World Food Program has noted progress in the enclave but said in its latest food security analysis last week that hunger remains.
“Households reported an average of two meals per day in February 2026, compared to one meal in July,” it said. “Still, one in five households consumed only one meal daily.”
A challenge for aid groups and others
Refocusing the world’s attention on Gaza is a challenge for aid groups and others as Iran scrambles for new leadership and explosions continue in Tehran, Israel and around the Middle East.
Trump has said bombing in Iran could continue through the week or longer, and warned Tehran of “A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” if it escalates attacks.
It’s a dramatic turn from Trump’s launch less than two weeks ago of his new Board of Peace, a gathering of world leaders that is aimed at ending the war in Gaza but has ambitions of resolving conflicts elsewhere.
Even with that bump in momentum on Gaza, major challenges remain for the ceasefire. They include disarming Hamas, assembling and deploying an international stabilization force, and getting a newly appointed Palestinian committee meant to govern Gaza into the territory.
As the Middle East turns to another war, some Palestinians see a benefit: Israel’s military is distracted.
“The good thing is that the sound of booms and demolitions is rare now near the yellow line,” said Ahmed Abu Jahl, of Gaza City, speaking about the line dividing Gaza and marking out roughly half the territory controlled by Israeli forces.
“Even the drones, they are still flying overhead, but their number has gone down.”
