Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 16, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
UN rights chief urges Israel to halt Gaza assault, citing war crimes. Tensions rise as UN accuses Israel of genocide.
GENEVA (Reuters) -The U.N. Human Rights Chief called on Israel to immediately stop its ground assault on Gaza City that got underway on Tuesday, saying that evidence was mounting of war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly more.
"I can only think of what it means for women, for malnourished children, for people with disabilities, if they are again attacked in this way. And I have to say the only response to this is: stop the carnage," High Commissioner Volker Turk told reporters in Geneva.
"Palestinians, Israelis scream for peace. Everyone wants an end to this, and what we see is a further escalation which is totally and utterly unacceptable," he added.
"I call on Israel to stop its wanton destruction of Gaza."
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts - accusations that Israel called scandalous.
Turk has not used the term but is under pressure to do so.
Asked if he would consider using the word genocide to describe Israel's actions in Gaza, Turk said: "We see the piling up of war crime after war crime or crime against humanity, and potentially even more. I mean, it's for the court to decide whether it's genocide or not and we see the evidence mounting."
(Reporting by Emma FargeEditing by Madeline Chambers)
The UN Human Rights Chief called on Israel to immediately stop its ground assault on Gaza City, citing mounting evidence of war crimes.
Concerns were raised about the impact on women, malnourished children, and people with disabilities, emphasizing the urgent need to stop the attacks.
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials incited these acts.
While the UN Human Rights Chief has not used the term 'genocide', he acknowledged the accumulation of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The UN Human Rights Chief noted that both Palestinians and Israelis are screaming for peace and called the escalation of violence unacceptable.
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