United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday that “the darkest moment of the Gaza conflict is unfolding in the north of the Strip.”

A year after the October 7 attack that marked the beginning of the current Gaza conflict, the international community has been unable to impose a ceasefire in the region, and reports of atrocities against the civilian population continue. The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire since November 2023, including again in September and October this year.

Türk went on to stress:

Unimaginably, the situation is getting worse by the day. The Israeli Government’s policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians. We are facing what could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity.

The statement included a call to action by the international community. Türk argued that under the Geneva Convention, member states have “an obligation to act when a serious violation of international humanitarian law has been committed.”

Guterres, in a recent interview with Al Jazeera, said that the “[UN] Security Council has failed us,” owing to its “outdated, unfair, and ineffective structure.” Members of the UN Security Council have repeatedly attempted to adopt a humanitarian ceasefire resolution but were vetoed by the US, until June 2024 when the US tabled its three-phase ceasefire deal with Russia abstaining, citing concerns relating to the ambiguity of the text and the positions of the concerned parties. President of Finland Alexander Stubb has also called for the expansion of permanent seats to include the global south and the abolishment of the permanent members’ single veto powers.

South Africa has commenced proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Several countries, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, Türkiye and Chile, have also filed their declarations of intervention in the case, in the hope of yielding effective results in restoring peace and security in the region.