The UN called on Israel to stop the destruction of the Gaza Strip

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on Israel to stop the destruction of the Gaza Strip. He announced this on September 16.

"It is absolutely clear that this massacre must stop, and it must stop immediately <...> I call on Israel to stop the senseless destruction of Gaza," Turk said.

According to the Commissioner, many countries are calling on Israel for peace, but the conflict is further escalating, during which the population of the Gaza Strip may not survive the lack of humanitarian assistance. He added that over the past few days, attacks on northwestern areas, where civilians were hiding from attacks, have become more frequent.

Turk notes that there is no confirmation of attacks by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the so-called Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. He believes that the attack is targeting civilians who are not taking part in the fighting.

"Whether it is genocide or not, the court must decide, but we see that there is more and more evidence. We see that the commission of inquiry has just issued a statement on this issue, we need to keep this in mind," the commissioner said.

In addition, Turk also called for stopping the annexation of the West Bank of the Jordan River.

Immediate occupation: Israel faces isolation due to attempted takeover of Gaza

What is Netanyahu's goal and how can the bloodshed be stopped?

Earlier in the day, the UN Commission of Inquiry into the events in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel recognized Tel Aviv's actions in the Gaza Strip as genocide. The head of the commission, Navi Pillay, believes that Israel is responsible for the failure to prevent and punish those involved in the commission of the crime.

After that, Israel launched a ground operation to occupy Gaza City. It is accompanied by massive strikes throughout the enclave. Later, the country's defense ministry noted that the IDF would strike Gaza until it defeated Hamas and freed the hostages. According to the Axios portal, the ground operation received the support of the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that due to the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has little time to agree to a cease-fire deal.

Later, European Commission (EC) spokeswoman Paula Pinho announced that tomorrow, on September 17, the EC would adopt a package of measures against Israel. According to her, the restrictions will include the suspension of certain trade agreements between Israel and the European Union (EU).

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.