UN special rapporteur says 'accountability more needed than ever' in Gaza

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN special rapporteur on Palestine said Friday that accountability is "more needed than ever," in Gaza amid ongoing committed crimes by Israel.

"The colossal amount of evidence concerning international crimes committed by Israel in Gaza just over the past six months could keep the International Criminal Court busy for the next five decades, especially at the current proceedings pace," Francesca Albanese said on X.

Albanese urged: "Accountability is more needed than ever."

Israel launched its war on Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas. It has since killed nearly 32,000 Palestinians and pushed the territory to the brink of famine.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while most of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.