Starvation, destruction of houses in Gaza aggravate charges of ‘genocide': UN rapporteurs

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - UN rapporteurs on Wednesday said that the starvation and lack of housing due to damages caused by Israel in Gaza aggravate charges of “genocide."

Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, said on X that 45% of people in Gaza experience severe hunger.

"In some areas 9 out of 10 families go 24 hours without food," Albanese said, adding: "This aggravates charges of genocide, as physical destruction can be achieved through starvation (ICTR)."

If the number of people suffering severe hunger is an "exaggeration" as claimed by Israel, why media and human rights monitors cannot enter Gaza, she questioned.

Regarding the housing situation, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the special rapporteur on the right to housing, said on X that about 56% of houses in Gaza are destroyed or damaged.

"Northern Gaza is most heavily affected with up to 82% destroyed or damaged," Rajagopal said, encouraging the International Criminal Court to "consider this as evidence of genocide when coupled with public statements documented before it by South Africa."

South Africa filed the lawsuit on Dec. 29, claiming that Israel violated the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide with its actions in Gaza since Oct. 7, requesting an injunction.

Türkiye, Bolivia, Jordan and Malaysia, among others, have already signaled support for the case.

Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 23,357 Palestinians and injuring 59,410 others, according to local health authorities.

Israel unleashed its military might on Gaza after Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis in the Oct. 7 attack.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced, while all of them are food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.