Israel kills 100 at aid seeking crowd: UN calls for independent probe
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Kingstown: After the deadly incident of 100 people in Gaza got killed by Israeli forces while queuing for humanitarian aid, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the incident must be investigated independently, Reuters reported.
The leader was in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and was speaking ahead of a regional summit. He said that he was shocked by the news, the latest episode in Israel's war in Gaza. So far, 30,000 Palestinians lost life in the war since it started in October 7, according to Palestine authorities under Hamas.
He was responding to questions by media about a recent Security Council resolution, which sought a ceasefire, failed. He said that worsening geopolitical divides have "transformed the veto power into an effective instrument of paralysis of the action of the Security Council," Reuters quoted.
According to him, he is totally convinced that a humanitarian ceasefire is needed, as well as an immediate and unconditional release of hostages. We should have a Security Council able to achieve the said objectives, Guterres said.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, two more children succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration, reported on Thursday. The health ministry on Wednesday stated that the latest deaths were at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. This makes the number of children's deaths rise above 6. The situation in Gaza intensified calls for urgent intervention from global organizations to prevent further casualties, which the UN warned an "imminent" famine.
On Tuesday, a UN official stated that Israel is deliberately causing starvation among Gaza's population, asserting that Israel should be held accountable for war crimes and genocide.
Michael Fakhri, the special rapporteur on the right to food, told The Guardian that "there is no reason to intentionally block the passage of humanitarian aid or intentionally obliterate small-scale fishing vessels, greenhouses and orchards in Gaza – other than to deny people access to food".