UN special rapporteur highlights what Israel’s war in Gaza is having on human rights

GENEVA

UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, highlighted what the ongoing war against Gaza by Israel is having on human rights.

Speaking to Anadolu about a report she submitted to the UN Human Rights Council on the challenges faced by child and youth human rights, Lawlor said, “I decided to focus on children and young people who are human rights defenders. Because they are the people who will carry the human rights movement into the future."

Particularly in Gaza, she argued that the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, "committed war crimes" on Oct. 7 by killing and taking civilian hostages.

But Lawlor underlined that the Israeli response to the attack has been disproportionate and hence, contrary to related international norms and standards.

“Israel’s attack on Gaza, during which some 70% of the casualties are women and children, constitutes a war crime, “she said.

Revealing that two female human rights defenders in Gaza whom she met face-to-face, were killed during Israeli attacks, Lawlor added, “We know that children are dying of hunger in Gaza. We know that there are serious problems in accessing hospitals and medical care.”

Also drawing attention to the fact that the Israeli occupation of Palestine and blockage on Gaza are not new, she maintained that Tel Aviv’s stated goal of eliminating Hamas would not bring an end to the long-lasting conflict.

“The sheer barbarism of the complete destruction of infrastructure and the massacre of civilians makes me truly despair as to whether this (Israeli attacks) will stop. The only thing that could force this is the fact that the US, Germany and the UK, in particular, are no longer unilaterally supporting Israel at every stage,” Lawlor noted.