The United Nations strongly condemned the continuous killings of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, highlighting that at least 32 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in April alone, six months after a fragile ceasefire was established between Israel and Hamas.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk emphasized that Gazans remain vulnerable as Israel continues daily attacks. Although a ceasefire was initiated on October 10, violence has persisted throughout the Palestinian territory.
Turk described the ongoing killings as a reflection of a persistent disregard for Palestinian lives, facilitated by widespread impunity. Drawing on data from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, he noted that since April began, Israeli forces have killed at least 32 Palestinians.
He detailed that over the past ten days, Palestinians have been killed and injured in their remaining homes, shelters, tents of displaced families, streets, vehicles, medical facilities, and even classrooms. Notably, a contractor working for the World Health Organization was killed on Monday, followed by the death of an Al Jazeera journalist on Wednesday.
Turk pointed out that the unprecedented number of journalists and humanitarian workers killed in Gaza exacerbates civilian suffering, as it endangers reporting and humanitarian response efforts. Movement outside has become perilous, with frequent incidents of Palestinians being killed while walking, driving, or standing outdoors.
The human rights chief also highlighted that the suffering is worsened by ongoing Israeli restrictions on aid entry, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and escalating violence from Palestinian armed groups allegedly supported by the Israeli military.
He stressed that Palestinians face no safe options, whether in action or location, contradicting the notion of a ceasefire. Over the past six months, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,000 injured, health ministry statistics.
In a significant development, Turk urged the international community to move beyond verbal condemnation after two and a half years of repeated violations of international law and tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths. He called for meaningful measures to end Israel’s ongoing breaches of international law, ensure accountability for crimes by all parties, and enable Palestinians to begin rebuilding their homes and communities.
In 2023, a Hamas attack on Israel resulted in 1,221 deaths, based on official Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s military operations have caused at least 72,000 deaths in Gaza, the health ministry there, whose data is regarded as reliable by the UN.
