A United Nations expert has informed the UN Human Rights Council that she considers Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 7 to be genocide. She has urged the world to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel immediately.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Territories, presented her findings to the UN rights body in Geneva. Her report titled “The Anatomy of a Genocide” highlighted the severity of the situation.
Albanese stated, “It is my solemn duty to report on the worst of what humanity is capable of and to present my findings.” She emphasized that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the crime of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza has been committed, citing a death toll of over 32,000 Palestinians among other atrocities.
Despite Israel’s absence from the session, they rejected the findings presented.
In conclusion, Albanese implored member states to fulfill their obligations by imposing an arms embargo and sanctions on Israel. She emphasized the importance of preventing such atrocities from recurring in the future. Her statements were met with a round of applause.
In a related development, a spokesman for the UN children’s agency said on Tuesday the situation in conflict-ridden Gaza is so desperate that teenagers are now saying they hope to be swiftly killed to escape the “nightmare”.
“The unspeakable is regularly said in Gaza,” said James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations children’s agency Unicef.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva via video message from Rafah in southern Gaza, he said the agency had held a meeting with adolescents. Several said they were “so desperate for this nightmare to end that they hoped to be killed”, he said.
