GENEVA, June 16: The UN human rights chief said Israel\u2019s warfare in Gaza is inflicting \u201chorrifying, unconscionable suffering\u201d on Palestinians and urged government leaders on Monday to exert pressure on Israel\u2019s government and the militant group Hamas to end it.<\/p>\n
Volker Turk made the comments at the opening of the latest Human Rights Council session on Monday, in a broad address that also raised concerns about escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, the fallout from US tariffs, and China\u2019s human rights record \u2014 alongside wars and conflict in places like Sudan and Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who has regularly spoken out about bloodshed in Gaza and called for the release of Israeli hostages held by armed Palestinian militants, used some of his most forceful words yet to highlight the Mideast violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael\u2019s means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza,\u201d Turk told the 47-member-country body, which Israeli authorities have regularly accused of anti-Israel bias.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has kept the United States, Israel\u2019s top ally, out of the council proceedings.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s military campaign has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry. It says that women and children make up most of the dead but it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe facts speak for themselves. Everyone in government needs to wake up to what is happening in Gaza,\u201d Turk said. \u201cAll those with influence must exert maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas, to put an end to this unbearable suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rights chief noted an increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine, nearly 3 1\/2 years after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion. He also denounced executions without a fair trial and \u201cwide-scale sexual violence, including against children\u201d in Sudan.<\/p>\n
Without mentioning President Donald Trump by name, Turk likened the US tariffs he imposed in April to \u201ca high-stakes poker game, with the global economy as the bank\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the shockwaves of a trade war will hit Least Developed Countries with the force of a tsunami,\u201d he said, warning of a potentially \u201cdevastating\u201d impact on exporters in Asia, and the prospect of higher costs for food, healthcare and education in places.<\/p>\n
Turk expressed concerns about US deportations of non-nationals, including to third countries, and called on authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly.<\/p>\n
The council session, which has been shortened by 2 1\/2 days because of funding issues at the UN, is set to run through July 9. The Geneva-based council is the UN\u2019s top human rights body.\u00a0 (AP)<\/p>\n\n