In Gaza, more Palestinians are reportedly killed at a US-Israeli aid hub
UN human rights chief Volker Türk has condemned new reports that dozens more Gazans were killed early on Tuesday trying to get food around a private aid hub run by the US and Israel.
“Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime,” the High Commissioner said in a statement, after Palestinians were reportedly killed seeking assistance for the third day running.
Mr. Türk also urged Israel to respect “binding orders” issued by the International Court of Justice to fully cooperate with the UN and ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza “without delay” and “at scale”.
Jeremy Laurence is a spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He noted that UN agencies delivered aid to people in need, unlike the US and Israeli plan:
“Gazans are having to walk miles. Those who can walk and who are fit enough. So, we’re excluding children, we’re excluding elderly people, we’re excluding people with disabilities. They are being forced to walk to these centres. And to now they’re terrified. Probably they go there and they’re thinking, am I going to get food? Or am I gonna get shot?”
In an update on Tuesday, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that it still had “teams on the ground” in Gaza ready to distribute dozens of truckloads of supplies, if only they could be allowed to move.
Sudanese Refugees fleeing to Chad ‘under fire’ as violence surges
To eastern Chad, where more than 800,000 Sudanese refugees have fled since war erupted in Sudan in April 2023.
The latest wave of displacement began this April, following attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in North Darfur.
They’ve been fighting Sudan’s regular army for more than two years.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, in just over a month, more than 68,000 refugees have crossed into Chad’s Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est provinces, at a rate of 1,400 new arrivals per day.
Here’s the UN agency’s Principal Situation Coordinator in Chad, Dossou Patrice Ahouansou on the harrowing testimonies that he’s heard:
“They are reporting harrowing account of violence; 72 per cent of those interview report serious human right violations, a physical and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, forced recruitment; 60 per cent of them say that they have been separated from their family members.”
Mr. Ahouansou described meeting seven-year-old Hawa, whose family home in Zamzam was bombed. After her mother was killed, she fled to a camp for internally displaced people, only to be bombed again.
This time, the attack killed her father and two brothers and left her with serious injuries to her leg that required amputation. Today, she is in Chad but there are thousands more children like her, UNHCR warned.
No let-up in Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities – OCHA
To Ukraine, where Russian attacks continued on Tuesday, this time on the northeastern city of Sumy.
Condemning the violence, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that three civilians were reportedly killed in the morning attack on the city centre.
At least 20 more people were injured, including a child, and a hospital, homes and vehicles were damaged.
The deadly incident is just the latest in a recent wave of Russian attacks since the weekend that have killed more Ukrainians and damaged homes, healthcare, schools and energy infrastructure.
To help, the UN and aid partners continue to support affected communities and evacuate people from frontline areas.
Daniel Johnson, UN News
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