UN rights chief calls on states to challenge Israel over occupation

9/9/2024 19:18

        The U.N. human rights chief said on Monday that ending the nearly year-long war in Gaza is a priority and he asked countries to act on what he called Israel's "blatant disregard" for international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.
        
        Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials, since Israel unleashed a military campaign in response to cross-border attacks by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed and a further 250 taken hostage.
        
        "Ending that war and averting a full-blown regional conflict is an absolute and urgent priority," the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a speech at the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.