World News In Brief: Gaza Update, Venezuela Election Violence, Executions In South Sudan

Thousands of people have returned to parts of Khan Younis in Gaza following the announced completion of Israeli ground operations in these areas earlier in the week, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Wednesday.

Returnees have headed for several locations in the city, including central and eastern neighbourhoods as well as the adjacent area of Bani Suhaila.

Medical evacuations

Separately, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 85 sick and severely injured patients from Gaza were evacuated to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

The patients, 35 of them children, were accompanied by more than 60 caregivers and family members. They were transferred from Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

This marked the largest medical evacuation outside Gaza since October, WHO said, and it was done in partnership with the Emirati Government and other organizations.

Thousands still waiting

The UN health agency noted that more than 10,000 people still desperately need to be medically evacuated from Gaza.

“We hope this paves the way for the establishment of evacuation corridors via all possible routes, including the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings to Egypt and Jordan, and from there to other countries,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General.

“We also call for evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be restored. Thousands of sick people are suffering needlessly. Above all, and as always, we call for a ceasefire.”

West Bank attacks

Meanwhile, OCHA also reported that attacks by Israeli forces and settlers continue to have a devastating impact on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Nearly 80 people, including almost two dozen children, were injured in just a single week (23-29 July), the agency said.

Venezuela: Independent rights probe alarmed over post-election violence

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela voiced deep concern on Wednesday over reports of human rights abuses following the weekend’s presidential election.

The Mission said it has received credible accounts of detentions, injuries and fatalities linked to violence by security forces and armed civilian groups, known as colectivos, in the wake of President Nicolás Maduro’s declared victory.

The National Electoral Council announced incumbent President Maduro as the winner early Monday, sparking nationwide protests.

The Fact-Finding Mission has documented at least six deaths and numerous injuries among protesters as of Wednesday morning. The Attorney General reported the death of a member of the armed forces and injuries of 46 military and police personnel.

Comply with human rights standards

Marta Valiñas, Chair of the Mission, emphasised the need for public order operations to adhere to international human rights standards, insisting that the use of force must be proportional and aimed at safeguarding human life.

“For its part, the Mission will remain very attentive and will investigate serious human rights violations occurring in the post-election context, in accordance with its mandate…this includes analysing the forces and individuals responsible for such violations,” she said.

The Fact-Finding Mission also noted that the Attorney General announced the detention of 749 people in the context of the protests, adding that while some have been released, others remain detained. Among them, some face serious charges, such as terrorism.

“We are concerned about this new wave of persecution against leaders of opposition political parties,” said Patricia Tappatá Valdez, an expert of the Mission.

“We are witnessing the accelerated reactivation of the repressive machinery that was never dismantled and is now being used to undermine the public freedoms of citizens and their right to political participation and free expression of ideas.”

The Fact-Finding Mission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019 for a period of one year to assess alleged human rights violations committed since 2014. Its mandate has been extended until September 2024.

UN rights office notes worrying rise in extrajudicial executions in South Sudan

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Wednesday that it is extremely concerned about the rise in extrajudicial executions in South Sudan.

People are being put to death by army and security force firing squads for a range of alleged offences, including murder, rape, cattle raiding, domestic disputes and intercommunal violence.

OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said that between January 2023 and June 2024, a total of 76 people, including two children, were executed by firing squad and with no trial.

“It is all the more distressing that 39 people, including a child, were executed this way in the first six months of 2024, nearly double the number of victims in the same period last year,” he added.

OHCHR urged the government to immediately stop extrajudicial executions, conduct prompt and impartial investigations and hold perpetrators accountable.

As the UN rights office also remains concerned about the continued application of the death penalty in South Sudan, Mr. Al-Kheetan said it is vital that the authorities impose a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

© Scoop Media