UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the darkest moment in the Gaza conflict is unfolding in the northern part of the strip, where the Israeli military is effectively exposing an entire population to bombing, siege and risk of starvation, as well as being forced to choose between mass displacement and being caught in an active conflict zone.

“The bombing in northern Gaza is non-stop,” he said on Friday. “The Israeli military has ordered hundreds of thousands to move, with no guarantees of return. But there is no safe way to leave. The bombs continue to fall, the Israeli military is separating families and detaining many people, and people fleeing have reportedly been shot at .”

Possible atrocity crimes in the north

The UN rights chief urged world leaders to act, saying states have a duty under the Geneva Conventions to ensure respect for international humanitarian law.

“Unbelievably, the situation is getting worse day by day,” he stressed.

“The Israeli government’s policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of ​​all Palestinians. We are facing what may amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially expanding to crimes against humanity.”

Trapped in bureaucracy

At the same time, children are being medically evacuated from across Gaza at a rate of less than one child a day, with many suffering from such serious conditions as head trauma, amputations, burns, cancer and severe malnutrition, James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said. to reporters in Geneva on Friday morning.

“This is not a logistical problem” he said. “We have the ability to safely transport these children out of Gaza. It’s not a capacity issue. In fact, we evacuated children in higher numbers just months ago. It is simply a problem that is completely ignored.”

As the year-long war progresses, children are being medically evacuated from Gaza at a rate of less than one child per day, with many suffering from such serious conditions as head trauma, amputations, burns, cancer and severe malnutrition.

Caught in the grip of an indifferent bureaucracy, children’s pain is brutally aggravated, he said, adding that when a patient is denied an evacuation, nothing can be done.

No reason for refusal

If this deadly slow pace continues, it will take more than seven years to evacuate the 2,500 children who need emergency medical care, warned Mr. Elder, adding that COGAT, the acronym for the Israeli authorities responsible for humanitarian affairs in the occupied Gaza Strip, “does not provide grounds for refusal”.

“It is not known how many child patients have been rejected for medevac [emergency medical evacuation],” said Mr. oldest.

“Only a list of approved patients is provided by Israel’s COGAT, which controls Gaza’s entry and exit points. The status of others is not shared.”

“As a result, children in Gaza die, not only from the bombs, bullets and shells that hit them, but because even when ‘miracles happen’, even when the bombs go off and the homes collapse and the casualties rise, but the children survive , and they are then prevented from leaving Gaza to receive the emergency care that would save their lives.”

Violation of human rights

From January 1 to May 7, an average of 296 children were medically evacuated each month. Since the Rafah crossing closed on May 7 due to the Israeli ground offensive there, the number of medically evacuated children has collapsed to just 22 per month, or 127 children.

“After more than a year of trying to shed light on the atrocities committed against children in Gaza, this is perhaps the clearest and most damning reality: children – deeply ill children – are being denied the medical care that can save those in Gaza and then prevented from going to places where help is waiting,” Mr. Elder said.

“Children are thus denied medical care, which is a basic human right, and those who barely survived ruthless bombings are condemned to die from their injuries.”

No escape

“One of the many tragedies in Gaza is that appalling figures have failed to force them to act,” he said, sharing the stories of several children he has met who are awaiting medical evacuation.

He said there is “no escape” for 12-year-old Mazyonawhose siblings were killed when two rockets hit her home, leaving her with devastating facial injuries, shrapnel embedded in her neck, requiring a medical evacuation for specialized care and orthopedic surgery.

Likewise, he continued, six-month-old Atef is fighting muscle cancer and severe malnutrition, and four-year-old Elia, who suffered fourth-degree burns when overnight shelling set fire to her home, was cleared to leave Gaza for emergency treatment but is still waiting as doctors said they fear they will soon will have to amputate her hand and other leg if she is not medically evacuated.

“All this is unfolding amid relentless bombing as Gaza’s hospitals have been decimatedleaving them unable to care for the flood of child patients,” he warned, adding that medical staff repeatedly report acute shortages of essentials such as needles, plasters, burn cream, IV fluids and painkillers, along with critical things like wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids, even batteries.

Rights experts say disability is being ignored

For those trapped in Gaza, the needs of people with disabilities are being sidelined, independent UN rights experts said on Friday.

“Many of the nearly 100,000 wounded Palestinians in Gaza will have long-term disabilities requiring rehabilitation, assistive devices, psychosocial support and other services that are severely lacking,” said the experts, who have previously raised these concerns with Israel’s government.

The experts noted that several evacuation orders completely ignored people with disabilities, who often have extreme difficulty following or understanding instructions.

They said Palestinians with disabilities face excruciating protection risks, including unavoidable death and injury, amid indiscriminate attacks by Israeli occupation forces that have destroyed critical infrastructure and obliterated humanitarian access.

“The impact extends beyond physical injuries, with severe emotional and psychological trauma and wider effects on the social fabric and needs of families and communities, particularly women who often bear the brunt of the care.”

Random attacks

People with disabilities are being killed and injured by indiscriminate attacks despite posing no security threat, epitomizing Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians, warned the independent experts, who do not represent any government or organization and are not paid for their work .

“They were in the impossible situation of either leaving their houses and the tools they need to survive, or being left without their families and caregivers and facing an increased risk of being killed,” they said. “During evacuation attempts, women and girls with disabilities are particularly exposed to increased dangers and additional trauma.”

Escalating violence by Israeli settlers

Citing the situation of escalating violence by illegal Israeli settlers and Israeli forces, mass destruction of homes and roads and movement restrictions in the West Bank and Jerusalem, the experts warned that Palestinians with disabilities in the occupied territories cannot access health, rehabilitation and other essential services.

“Over the past year, Israel has been in violation of its obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including armed conflict,” the experts said.

The parties to the conflict must immediately agree to a ceasefire, they said. The experts also recalled the July 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which declared Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory illegal, amounting to racial segregation and apartheid.

“Israel must comply with its international obligations and the interim measures ordered by the ICJ regarding its conduct in Gaza aimed at preventing further genocide,” the experts said.