Israel seeks to make Gaza City unliveable, says UN expert
The top UN expert on Palestinian rights, Francesca Albanese, says Israel is trying to make Gaza City unliveable in its assault on the enclave’s largest urban area.
“The ongoing assault to take the last remnant of Gaza will not only devastate the Palestinians but endanger also the remaining Israeli hostages,” Albanese told reporters in Geneva.
Israel says the offensive to take control of the city is part of a plan to defeat Hamas for good and that it has warned civilians to head south to a designated humanitarian zone.
Albanese accused Israel of genocide and said the international community was complicit, with the nearly two-year campaign in the Palestinian enclave killing more than 64,000 people, according to local authorities.
Israel rejects the accusation, citing its right to self-defence following the October 7 attack by Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
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