UN ‘shocked’ by Israeli minister’s comments justifying starving Gaza

Israel-Gaza War Updates
2024-08-09 | 07:08
High views
Share
LBCI
Share
LBCI
Whatsapp
facebook
Twitter
Messenger
telegram
print
UN ‘shocked’ by Israeli minister’s comments justifying starving Gaza
Whatsapp
facebook
Twitter
Messenger
telegram
print
2min
UN ‘shocked’ by Israeli minister’s comments justifying starving Gaza

UN rights chief Volker Turk was “shocked and appalled” by comments by Israel’s finance minister suggesting it might be “justified” to starve the population of Gaza to free hostages, his spokesman said Friday.

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights “condemns these words in the strongest terms, which also incite hatred against innocent civilians,” his spokesman Jeremy Laurence told a press conference.

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stoked controversy earlier this week, telling a conference: “No one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages.”

“We are bringing in humanitarian aid because we have no choice. We are in a situation that requires international legitimacy to conduct this war,” Smotrich said.

Turk’s spokesman told reporters that “the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime.”

“This direct and public statement risks inciting other atrocity crimes. Such statements, especially by public officials, must cease immediately, they must be investigated and if found to amount to a crime, must be prosecuted and punished,” Laurence said.


AFP
Israel Gaza War Updates 

World News

Middle East News

Israel-Gaza War Updates

UN

Israeli

Minister

Comments

Gaza

LBCI Next
UAE urges Israel and Hamas to accept mediators' call to resume ceasefire negotiations
France's Macron: War in Gaza must stop
LBCI Previous
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use cookies to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More