UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Israel escalates attacks on Gaza

The spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, Sami Hitan, said at a press conference in Geneva on the 21st that Israel has recently intensified its attacks on the Gaza Strip. From the 13th to the 20th alone, the attacks have killed at least 57 Palestinians. Hitan said that after nine months following the announcement of a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still have no safe place.

Taking the 17th to 18th of this month as an example, Israel carried out 10 attacks in places such as Gaza City, the northern Gaza governorate, and southern areas including Khan Younis, killing at least 21 Palestinians, including 4 children and 3 women. Hitan said the attacks have killed civilians, raising concerns about ongoing violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip, as well as war crimes and the possibility of other atrocities.

Hitan warned that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are still trapped in an increasingly shrinking area. Israel keeps shifting its “yellow line” westward, leaving local residents facing ongoing life-threatening danger. According to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since October 2025, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s forces. As of now, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has verified that from October 2025 to mid-April 2026, a total of 685 Palestinians were killed, including 283 women and children. Most of them died in attacks carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip. (Xinhua)