“It is our duty to protect civilians and human rights, and it is high time to act on it,” he added.
The U.N.’s Türk said on Friday that the Gaza war’s “darkest moment” was unfolding in the north of the territory, where Israel is carrying out a massive ground offensive to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping.
As refugees continue to flee Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the U.N. has warned that the “forcible transfer of a large part of the population of North Gaza would amount to a war crime.”
Türk said that more than 150,000 people were reportedly dead, wounded or missing in Gaza. “My gravest fear is, given the intensity, breadth, scale and blatant nature of the Israeli operation currently under way in North Gaza, that number will rise dramatically,” he said.
The calls for action come amid fear of an all-out war in the Middle East following an Israeli strike on Iran’s capital on Saturday.
