Hundreds of UN staff at the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk have asked him to explicitly describe the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The letter sent yesterday said the staff consider that the legal criteria for genocide in the nearly two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been met, citing the scale, scope and nature of violations documented in the Strip.
“OHCHR has a strong legal and moral responsibility to denounce acts of genocide,” said the letter signed by the Staff Committee on behalf of over 500 employees. “Failing to denounce an unfolding genocide undermines the credibility of the UN and the human rights system itself,” it added.
It cited the international body’s perceived moral failure for not doing more to stop the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
There was no immediate response from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israel adamantly rejects accusations of genocide in Gaza, saying it makes an effort to minimize civilian casualties and accusing Hamas of embedding among noncombatant populations.
The war began with the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, in which invading terrorists killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages. The ensuing war in Gaza has killed almost 63,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, while a global hunger monitor says part of the enclave is suffering from famine — a determination Israel disputes.
Some rights groups such as Amnesty International have already accused Israel of committing genocide. UN officials have in the past said that it is up to international courts to determine genocide.
Turk, who has repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and warned of the increasing risk of atrocities there, says the letter raised important concerns.
“I know we all share a feeling of moral indignation at the horrors we are witnessing, as well as frustration in the face of the international community’s inability to bring this situation to an end,” he says in a copy of his response seen by Reuters, calling for employees to “remain united as an Office in the face of such adversity.”
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