The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, classified Israel's demand for Palestinians to leave Rafah this Monday (6) as inhumane.
“The people of Gaza continue to be hit by bombs, disease and even hunger. And today, they were told that they must move once again as Israeli military operations in Rafah increase,” Türk said in a statement.
“This is inhumane. It is contrary to the basic principles of international politics, humanitarian and human rights laws, which have the effective protection of civilians as their primary concern,” she added.
Türk criticized Israel for “forcibly relocating” hundreds of thousands of people to areas already heavily destroyed and where there is little shelter and virtually no access to the humanitarian assistance needed for their survival, adding that there is no safe place outside of Rafah.
He also warned that those who fail to comply with international human rights laws must be held accountable.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in turn, is “concerned about indications that a large-scale military operation in Rafah may be imminent,” said spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
“The Secretary-General reminds the parties that the protection of civilians is fundamental in international humanitarian law”, he added.
Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal
The head of Hamas's political office, Ismail Haniyeh, called mediators to report that the armed group had accepted a proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement made by Qatar and Egypt.
A source told CNN that the agreement that the armed group accepted is different from the one that Israel helped to build with mediators from Qatar and Egypt.
Israel has not yet accepted the measure, but Netanyahu said he would send a delegation for negotiations.
“At the same time, although Hamas’ proposal is far from Israel’s necessary demands, Israel will send a working delegation to the mediators in order to reach an agreement on conditions acceptable to Israel,” Netanyahu pointed out.
A diplomatic source familiar with the discussions told CNN that, after a meeting in Doha, the capital of Qatar, between the director of the CIA, the US intelligence agency, William Burns, and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the mediators convinced Hamas to accept a three-phase agreement.
The United States stressed that it is analyzing Hamas' response, while Turkey's president called on Israel to accept the agreement.
*with information from Reuters
Source: CNN Brasil
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