The United Nations Human Rights Office has accused Israel of committing war crimes with the siege and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
“Collective punishment is a war crime.
“Israel’s collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza must immediately cease,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday in Geneva.
The UN agency also said that the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas had committed war crimes and atrocities including by abducting civilians from Israel during deadly attacks on 7 October.
Ms Shamdasani demanded that Palestinian groups halt the “indiscriminate attacks” on Israel.
More than 200 people, many of them civilians, were believed to be held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting off supplies of water, food, electricity and fuel.
“A humanitarian catastrophe unfolds for the 2.2 million people locked inside Gaza who are being collectively punished,” Ms Shamdasani said.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October that killed about 1,400 people including women and children, Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed over 7,000 people including almost 3,000 children, according to Palestinian authorities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza that have displaced almost half of the over two million population.
Israel has in response called for the resignation of the UN chief and said it would not approve visas for UN officials seeking to travel to Palestine or Israel.
