Leaders of several United Nations agencies have publicly condemned Israel’s war with Iran that launched last week ― warning of the humanitarian and civilian toll that has already begun on both sides, and stressing that the public not forget about the continued destruction of Gaza and the Palestinian people.
Israel and Iran have been exchanging attacks on each other since Friday, when the former launched an assault on the latter’s top military leaders and nuclear infrastructure. Israeli forces have since killed more than 220 people in Tehran, while Iran’s retaliatory missiles have killed at least two dozen in Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva and Haifa.
“The military escalation between Israel and Iran is deeply worrying,” UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Monday. “I join all those appealing for deescalation and urgent diplomatic negotiations to end these attacks and find a way forward. And I call for full respect of international law by both sides, in particular the protection of civilians in densely populated areas.”
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell echoed the concern for civilians, saying that “children are once again paying the ultimate price” of war and violence.
Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
Many of the images coming out of Israel’s bombed neighborhoods show similarities with the livestreamed horrors of Gaza, the Palestinian territory that for the last 20 months Israeli forces have tried to essentially wipe off the map. Despite much of the international community condemning the military offensive as war crimes and genocide, Israel continues to keep its foot on Gaza’s neck.
“The Palestinians of Gaza are very much hurt by this conflict [with Iran] because it diverts attention wholly away from Gaza, which was the central issue of the region and a major issue between the [Trump] administration and the Israeli government,” former Ambassador Barbara Leaf, who was assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs under the Biden administration, said on a Monday panel with the Middle East Institute.
Phillipe Lazzarini, who leads the UN’s agency tasked with providing assistance for Palestinians (UNRWA), made similar comments on Monday ― stressing that Israeli forces continue, without consequence, to kill “scores of people” in Gaza and block…
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