United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights, Volker Türk Statement To The UN Security Council

New York, 3 April 2025

[Delivered partly in French]

Monsieur le Président,

It pains me to brief this Council once again on the catastrophic suffering of people in Gaza.

The temporary relief of the ceasefire, which gave Palestinians a moment to breathe, has been shattered.

Since 1 March, Israeli military operations have killed more than 1,200 Palestinians, including at least 320 children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

And bombardments continue – of residential buildings, tents, hospitals and schools, including places where Palestinians have been ordered to move. There was no let-up, even as Palestinian families celebrated Eid.

I am appalled by the recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers, which raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military. There must be an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the killings, and those responsible for any violation of international law must be held to account.

The Israeli military continues to strike camps for people who have been displaced numerous times, who have nowhere safe to go.

The Israeli military also continues to force civilians to move. Half of Gaza is now under mandatory evacuation orders or has been declared a no-go zone. These orders fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law.

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continue to launch indiscriminate rockets from Gaza into Israel, in breach of international humanitarian law.

I am also deeply concerned about the fate and wellbeing of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

Monsieur le Président,

It has now been a month since Israel imposed a complete blockade on vital aid and supplies, including food, water, electricity, fuel and medicines, harming the entire population of Gaza.

The blockade and siege imposed on Gaza amount to collective punishment and may also amount to the use of starvation as a method of war.

As of 1 April, the World Food Programme shut its 25 bakeries in Gaza, leaving many families without access to bread. Community tensions over food shortages are palpable, alongside reports of excessive use of force by local police. We are witnessing a return to the breakdown of social order that preceded the ceasefire.

I am alarmed by the inflammatory rhetoric by senior Israeli officials around seizing, annexing and dividing territory, and about transferring Palestinians outside Gaza. This raises grave concerns about the commission of international crimes and runs counter to the fundamental principle of international law against the acquisition of territory by force.

In Resolution 2735 passed last June, this Council rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza.

Monsieur le Président,

The situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is also extremely alarming.

Israeli operations in the northern West Bank have killed hundreds of people, destroyed entire refugee camps and makeshift medical sites, and displaced over 40,000 Palestinians. The announcement that residents must not return to their homes for a year raises serious concerns about long-term mass displacement.

Since 7 October 2023, my Office has verified that State and settler violence has killed 909 Palestinians across the West Bank, including 191 children and 5 people with disabilities, some of which may amount to extrajudicial and other unlawful killings.

In the same period, 51 Israelis, including 15 women and 4 children, were killed in alleged Palestinian attacks or armed clashes, 33 in the West Bank and 18 in Israel.

Illegal settlement expansion continues unabated as some Israeli ministers advocate for Israeli sovereignty in the occupied territory.

Dozens of Palestinian herding and farming communities have been forced to leave their homes and their ancestral lands, while restrictions on movement have paralyzed the economy and are shredding the social fabric.

While hundreds of Palestinian detainees were released during the ceasefire, hundreds more people have been arrested and detained.

Within Israel, the severe crackdown on civic space, including against organisations defending the human rights of Palestinians, is also alarming.

Monsieur le Président,

Nothing can justify the horrific attacks committed against Israeli communities on 7 October 2023. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli military operations since 7 October 2023 have killed more than 50,400 Palestinians in Gaza, and injured more than 114,000.

I urge the immediate restoration of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza.

I warn again that there is a high and increasing risk that atrocity crimes are being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Under the Geneva Conventions, States have an obligation to act when a serious violation of international humanitarian law has been committed.

Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, State parties have the responsibility to act to prevent such a crime, when risk becomes apparent.

I urge all those with influence to ensure the protection of civilians as a matter of absolute priority.

It is essential that there is full accountability for all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.

All those arbitrarily detained must also be released.

Israel must refrain from any acts amounting to forcible transfer of Gaza’s population.

The last 18 months of violence have made abundantly clear that there is no military path out of this crisis. The only way forward is a political settlement, based on two states living side by side in equal dignity and rights, in line with UN resolutions and international law.

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