According to the JURIST – News, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, reminded global leaders that an all-out assault by Israel in Rafah, a city in Gaza, cannot be justified by the binding parameters of international humanitarian law or by the binding provisional measures implemented by the International Court of Justice.
In a stern remark made on Sunday, Turk’s statement underlines the depth of the growing concern amid international leaders, as it comes only a day after UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned about the disastrous consequences that a full-scale invasion of Rafah would have.
Israel started issuing evacuation orders for around 100,000 Rafah citizens on May 6th, with more than 300,000 having fled since then, as per the UN’s reports. Rafah, which was once deemed a protected zone, houses roughly half of Gaza’s populace. Turk also pointed out that many of the areas civilians are expected to run to have been devastated, with several still being under active attack.
The narrative of safe zones has been branded as false and misleading, as there is nowhere safe for civilians to run to, according to Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA.
Furthermore, the UN has registered that Israel’s military operations in Rafah have severely hampered its humanitarian operations throughout the enclave. They have underlined severe exhaustion and starvation as rampant among civilians in Gaza; UNRWA facilities in East Jerusalem have also been targeted.
The widely opposed military offensive in Rafah, which includes opposition from the US, kicked off on May 6th when strikes against Hamas were announced by Israel. Israel has maintained that its military initiatives on Rafah are of a limited scope, focusing mainly on tactical and military targets.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has seen more than 30,000 casualties and over 70,000 wounded. Numerous civilians have reportedly been killed while waiting for aid, as UN officials reported.
To this end, South Africa has lodged an application to the ICJ asking for additional binding interim measures demanding an immediate withdrawal by Israel from Rafah. South Africa launched its legal proceedings against Israel in December, charging it with acts of genocide against Palestinians. Since then, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Libya have intervened against Israel.
However, these allegations of committing genocide against Palestinians have been firmly denied by Israel, who regard these charges as antisemitic.