UN human rights chief laments ‘grim milestone’ as Gaza death toll exceeds 40,000
The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk has said that today marks “a grim milestone” with the news that the death toll from Gaza has surpassed 40,000.
His statement said: “This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war.
“On average, about 130 people have been killed every day in Gaza over the past 10 months. The scale of the Israeli military’s destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship is deeply shocking.
“International humanitarian law (IHL) is very clear on the paramount importance on the protection of civilians, and civilian property and infrastructure. Our Office has documented serious violations of IHL by both the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.
“As the world reflects on and considers its inability to prevent this carnage, I urge all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, lay down their arms and stop the killing once and for all. The hostages must be released. Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be freed. Israel’s illegal occupation must end and the internationally agreed two-State solution must become a reality.”
Key events
Israel’s former war cabinet minister tells Netanyahu to ‘stop worrying about fate of government’
Israel’s former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has urged the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that it is time to “be brave” and stop worrying only about himself.
Gantz, in a video statement reported by the Jerusalem Post said:
It is possible and necessary to achieve achievements now. Netanyahu, at first, you were afraid to manoeuvre, then you were afraid to move the effort to the north, and for months, you were afraid to pursue a hostage plan for fear of the fate of the coalition.
“The time has come for you to stop worrying about the fate of the government and only concern yourself with the fate of the country. For once, be brave,” he concluded.
Rowena Mason
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, is reportedly planning an imminent trip to Israel amid high tensions with Iran in an attempt to help avert an escalation of war in the Middle East.
The foreign secretary will meet Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Israel Katz, the foreign minister, along with Stéphane Séjourné, the French foreign minister, Sky News reported.
Lammy issued a statement on Thursday welcoming the restart of negotiations for a ceasefire and return of hostages in Gaza:
As the UK made clear at the UN security council this week, the situation in Gaza is devastating. The strike on the al-Tabeen school demonstrated that Palestinians in Gaza have nowhere safe to turn.
He added:
The UK will continue to use every diplomatic lever to bring about a ceasefire. In the last week, I have spoken with partners from across the region on the urgent need to bring this conflict to an end and the prime minister has spoken to his US, French and German counterparts, as well as the Iranian and Egyptian presidents. It’s clear from these conversations that a ceasefire would not only protect civilians in Gaza, but also pave the way for wider de-escalation and bring much-needed stability for the Middle East.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has eliminated more than 17,000 Palestinian militants in Gaza since the start of the war.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari, at a press conference on Thursday, said the Israeli military’s “significant fighting” and achievements harm Hamas’s ability to regroup and recover.
“We are determined to continue this,” he added.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the foreign ministers of France and the UK will visit Israel tomorrow and meet with the country’s foreign ministry.
Stéphane Séjourné and David Lammy will meet with Israel Katz to discuss efforts to prevent a regional escalation, Israel’s foreign ministry said.
There has been no official confirmation yet of the trip from either the UK or France.
The Israeli foreign ministry has released a statement commenting on the visit by Britain’s foreign secretary, David Lammy.
Ministers are “expected to discuss the effort to prevent regional escalation and promote a deal for the release of the Israeli hostages,” Israel’s foreign ministry said, according to Sky News.
Foreign minister Israel Katz is expected to raise at the meeting the need to promote severe economic sanctions against Iran on the issue of nuclear weapons, missiles and drones, and to declare the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
Britain’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, said the UK will “use every diplomatic lever to bring about a ceasefire” in Gaza, following reports that he will travel to Israel in the coming hours to hold talks with Benjamin Netanyahu.
The British foreign ministry did not confirm any travel plans for Lammy, Reuters reported. But a statement by Lammy was reported by Sky News:
The coming hours and days could define the future of the Middle East. That is why today, and every day, we are urging for our partners across the region to choose peace.
Referring to the ceasefire talks, Lammy said they were an “opportunity to secure an immediate ceasefire that protects civilians in Gaza, secures the release of hostages still cruelly held by Hamas and restores stability at a dangerous moment for the region”.
The international charity ActionAid said it is “outraged and heartbroken” following the news that more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s offensive.
The death count is “a number that is incomprehensible”, ActionAid said in a statement, adding:
Every life lost is an individual tragedy. But this is not an inevitable one, it is an ongoing atrocity, and it could have been prevented.
It accused “most governments across the world” of having “refused to do the bare minimum to protect civilian life”, adding that it is “to our collective shame”.
We demand immediate action to stop the violence and hold the Israeli government accountable. The people of Gaza cannot wait any longer for justice, safety, and peace.
UK foreign secretary to meet with Netanyahu – report
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, will travel to Israel in the coming hours to hold talks with the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sky News is reporting.
Lammy will also meet Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, during his trip, according to the broadcaster.
A diplomatic source described the imminent trip as “an attempt to prevent all-out war in the Middle East”.
Diplomatic source says Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to travel to Israel “in an attempt to prevent an all-out war in the Middle East”
— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) August 15, 2024
We reported earlier that the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, said he planned to visit Gaza and Jerusalem. Here’s some more on what he said:
Abbas was addressing the Turkish parliament on Thursday after meeting with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to discuss the war and ceasefire efforts.
In a speech that lasted more than 45 minutes and was attended by Erdoğan and Turkish lawmakers, Abbas said he had decided to visit Gaza and Jerusalem to protest against Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory.
He accused the US of prolonging the “catastrophe” by supporting Israel and vetoing resolutions at the UN security council, Reuters reported. He also called on the world to legally punish Israel for its war crimes and violations of international law.
Abbas received a standing ovation before and after his speech, which was also interrupted repeatedly by applause, Reuters reported.
An official with the UN children’s agency who travelled across Gaza last week has described the horrific conditions he saw as “beyond describing”.
Salim Oweis, a Unicef communications officer, told Al Jazeera that “even TV screens don’t do it justice”, adding:
Not only are buildings destroyed, but whole neighbourhoods and streets in places like Khan Younis or Gaza City.
He said living conditions in displacement camps and shelters were unbearable, and even spending a short time there was a struggle due to the heat, sand and the crowded nature.
In Deir el-Balah, the amount of displaced people is horrific; it feels like everyone has been displaced. We’re talking about 90% of the population which has been displaced at least once.
Faisal Ali
James Kariuki, the UK deputy representative to the UN, condemned alleged links between Yemen’s Houthis and the al-Qaida-affiliated armed group in Somalia, al-Shabaab.
Kariuki was addressing a session of the UN security council where he described the connections as part of a “wider pattern of Houthi destabilising activity” in the region and called on UN sanctions committees to counter “this worrying trend”.
CNN first reported links between al-Shabaab, a Sunni militant group, and the Houthis, who belong to Islam’s Shia branch, in mid-June citing three anonymous American officials.
The officials said that they were investigating whether the Houthis had delivered weapons to al-Shabaab which has been fighting the Somali government since early 2007.
The Houthis are also backed by Iran raising questions about whether Tehran would support such a move. Another American official cited in the CNN report was sceptical: “Houthis be a’ Houthi-ing on their own.”
