UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert Francesca Albanese has criticised the Israeli government’s “continued dehumanisation of Palestinian civilians”.
In an interview with UN News, the UN’s special rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian territories said, “[Israeli politician] Naftali Bennett has inferred that there are no civilians in Gaza, that even babies become a legitimate target.
“How can it be? How can it be? How can you hold a newborn responsible?” she asked.
Albanese said that Gazans have “already suffered five deadly wars…during the period Israel has declared an unlawful blockade over the Gaza Strip, entrapping 2.2 million people.”
And since 7 October “they have been recklessly bombarded with an average of 6,000 bombs launched per week,” she added.
Over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli bombing campaign began, with more than 19,740 injured, said the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) on Saturday, according to Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Children’s Fund UNICEF reported earlier in the week that nearly 2,400 children were among the dead in Gaza, with women and children accounting for 66 per cent of the casualties.
“All schools have been targeted one way or another”, said Albanese.
“Schools have been hit by the bombings, hospitals have been hit by the bombings” and there has been a tightening of the blockade. “Israeli leaders, one way or another, are blaming and holding all Palestinians in Gaza responsible and are punishing all Palestinians in Gaza for what Hamas and other military groups have done”, she added.
The independent human rights expert also criticised Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian lands and the mistreatment of Palestinians.
