NHRC calls for immediate end to Israeli aggression on Gaza

The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has called upon the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to work urgently in co-operation with all stakeholders to put an immediate end to the Israeli occupation's aggression against the Gaza Strip, given that the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (UNHROHC) is a specialised agency for promoting and protecting human rights.
The NHRC stressed the importance of co-operation in holding accountable Israeli war criminals.
This came during the meeting of HE the Secretary-General of NHRC Sultan bin Hassan al-Jamali with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
In press statement, al-Jamali told the UN High Commissioner that the occupying power, Israel, must adhere to international law and that safe corridors for relief agencies to enter must be created, in addition to putting an immediate end to the grave violations that are happening in the West Bank, and enhancing efforts to update the list of companies building illegal settlements in the West Bank according to the Human Rights Council resolution.
He indicated that the collective goal is to unify efforts to end the Israeli aggression, ensure the provision of unconditional humanitarian aid, and address current developments.
Al-Jamali expressed his hope that the High Commissioner's speech would be in line with the seriousness of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation, in line with the statement issued by several UN Special Rapporteurs who warned of an imminent genocide in Gaza and the widespread violations committed by the Israeli army, falling within the genocide and international law legal framework.
The NHRC Secretary-General expressed the Committee's concern and condemnation of the inability and inconsistency shown by the human rights system, saying that the current human rights system is often influenced by political considerations, as opposed to legal principles.
He pointed out that the significant delay in taking a firm stance against the ongoing violations could cause oppressed and persecuted people world-wide to lose confidence in the international human rights system, which in turn would have long-term consequences on the promotion and protection of human rights, not only in the Arab region but globally as well.
Al-Jamali said that given the seriousness of the situation, the roles and positions of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights must be aligned with National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), regional networks, the UN Secretary-General, special rapporteurs, international mechanisms, and the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to condemn the aggression against Gaza and address concerns of Genocide.
The NHRC Secretary-General said that Israel's storming of hospitals in the Gaza Strip constitutes a war crime and crime against humanity under international humanitarian law, adding that the horrific and painful images reported by the media are deplorable, particularly those of premature babies in the Al-Shifa Hospital, demonstrating their deprivation of the rights to life and health, considering this is a full-fledged crime for which the occupying power and its soldiers must be held accountable.
Al-Jamali explained that Israel, being the occupying power, is ignoring all legal and moral standards agreed upon by humanity, despite the former being a party to international human rights conventions, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
He said that medical facilities and teams must be immune against attacks, adding that the lives of the injured, the sick, and the displaced are at stake, highlighting world countries and organisations' responsibility to protect hospitals from propaganda-led actions, and deliver life-saving medical supplies.
In the same context, NHRC condemned the Israeli occupation's bombing of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza building.
Al-Jamali continued by saying that this heinous, barbaric, and criminal attack is only an extension of the occupation's approach of targeting civilians and humanitarian facilities, including hospitals, schools, shelters, and family homes.
He added that this is not limited to Israeli hostilities against civilians in the Gaza Strip, rather, is a blatant challenge to anyone who extends a helping hand to the isolated civilians in the Gaza Strip, constituting a heinous and full-fledged war crime that Israel adds to its criminal record.
Al Jamali called on all relevant UN agencies and bodies to not only express concern about the bombing of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza along with the Israeli killing and destruction machine's previous war crimes, but rather to accelerate effective deterrent actions that include an extensive investigation targeting the Israeli political and military leadership.
He said that this time around, the Israeli occupation's crimes in the Gaza Strip must serve as a turning point to support the constants of the Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinian people to establish an internationally recognised state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.