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UN human rights experts accuse Israel of systematic ‘sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence’ during its war on Gaza

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/un-human-rights-experts-accuse-israel-systematic-sexual-reproductive-and-other-gender

Chris Sidoti, Member of the Commission, speaks during a press conference about the launch of the latest report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, at the European headquarters of the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, March 13, 2025

UN-BACKED human rights experts accused Israel today of a “systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence” during its latest bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the Human Rights Council, a UN-backed body that commissioned the team of independent experts, as an “anti-Israel circus” that “has long been exposed as an anti-semitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting, and irrelevant body.”

His statement did not address the findings themselves.

The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory report – which seeks to document in minute detail allegations and evidence of crimes to bolster accountability for perpetrators – could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or in other jurisdictions to try to bring justice for victims and their relatives.

The commission’s research examines the widespread destruction of Gaza, use of heavy explosives in civilian areas and Israeli attacks on hospitals and health facilities.

It said all three led to “disproportionate violence against women and children.”

The commission documented a range of violations perpetrated against Palestinian women, men, girls and boys and accused Israeli security forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.

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Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/un-human-rights-experts-accuse-israel-systematic-sexual-reproductive-and-other-gender

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
Continue ReadingUN human rights experts accuse Israel of systematic ‘sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence’ during its war on Gaza

British charities referred to UN for ‘aiding crimes against Palestinians’

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https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/british-charities-referred-un-over-allegedly-aiding-crimes-against-palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights Situation in the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese speaks at a press conference at a session of the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva, 27 March 2024 (AFP)

The ICJP referred case studies of four charities, including Trinity College Cambridge and Jewish National Fund UK, to the UN

A number of British charities have been referred to the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, over allegedly “aiding and abetting international crimes against Palestinians”.

These include both the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College and Jewish National Fund UK, a charity which has former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as honorary patrons.

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), a UK-based rights group, announced on Monday that it had answered Albanese’s call for evidence ahead of a report to the UN Human Rights Council on “how the private sector has contributed to establishing and maintain Israel’s presence” in the occupied territories.

The ICJP said its submission explains the case studies of four charities, including Trinity College Cambridge and the UK arm of the Jewish National Fund.

Middle East Eye revealed in February that the prestigious Cambridge college, which is one of Britain’s wealthiest landowners, had $78,089 invested in Israel’s largest arms company, Elbit Systems, which produces 85 percent of the drones and land-based equipment used by the Israeli army.

MEE also reported that the college had millions of dollars invested in other companies arming, supporting and profiting from Israel’s war on Gaza.

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Article continues at https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/british-charities-referred-un-over-allegedly-aiding-crimes-against-palestinians

Continue ReadingBritish charities referred to UN for ‘aiding crimes against Palestinians’

Local food systems in Gaza ‘devastated’ by Israel military operations: UN

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Original article republished from Memo under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Palestinians, including children, who escaped from the attacks of the Israeli army and took shelter in the Khan Yunis, located in the south of the Gaza Strip and who are struggling with hunger due to the embargo imposed on the region by Israel on the Gaza Strip, wait in line to receive meals distributed by charities while Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip continue uninterruptedly in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 01, 2024 [Hani Alshaer – Anadolu Agency]

The UN, on Monday, said that local food systems in Gaza have been “devastated” by Israel’s land and air strikes, highlighting access to food as one of the most pressing concerns, Anadolu Agency reports.

Our humanitarian partners are also warning that local food systems have been devastated by military ground operations, the bombardment of civilian areas and the presence of unexploded ordnance

said UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, during a news conference.

He stated that “access to food remains the most critical concern raised by community members across all groups”.

Dujarric emphasized that food insecurity in Gaza is “worsening” daily, leaving people “more vulnerable”.

Describing the bakeries in Gaza as a “lifeline”, he said they are unable to remain operational due to a lack of fuel and flour.

Responding to Anadolu’s question on World Central Kitchen suspending its aid operations as well as UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) recently halting aid via Karm Abu Salem Crossing due to security concerns, Dujarric referred to his previous comments about the ongoing lack of food, UN’s inability to distribute aid and said “the facts are pretty clear, and they’re pretty horrific”.

READ: UK urges Israel to ensure unhindered aid to Gaza

Original article republished from Memo under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Continue ReadingLocal food systems in Gaza ‘devastated’ by Israel military operations: UN

Eight times more children will face extreme heatwaves by 2050s, Unicef says

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Experienced climbers scale a rock face near the historic Dumbarton castle in Glasgow, releasing a banner that reads “Climate on a Cliff Edge.” One activist, dressed as a globe, symbolically looms near the edge, while another plays the bagpipes on the shores below. | Photo courtesy of Extinction Rebellion and Mark Richards
Experienced climbers scale a rock face near the historic Dumbarton castle in Glasgow, releasing a banner that reads “Climate on a Cliff Edge.” One activist, dressed as a globe, symbolically looms near the edge, while another plays the bagpipes on the shores below. | Photo courtesy of Extinction Rebellion and Mark Richards

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/nov/20/children-extreme-heatwaves-2050s-un

Without action on climate crisis, far greater numbers will also experience floods, wildfires and droughts, according to report

Eight times as many children around the world will be exposed to extreme heatwaves in the 2050s, and three times as many will face river floods compared with the 2000s if current trends continue, according to the UN.

Nearly twice as many children are also expected to face wildfires, with many more living through droughts and tropical cyclones, according to the annual state of the world’s children report.

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The report, released on Wednesday, World Children’s Day, forecasts how the climate crisis, demographic shifts (sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia are projected to have the largest child populations in the 2050s) and breakthrough technologies will affect children’s lives in the future.

The report said technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) will bring benefits and risks to children, who are already interacting with AI embedded in apps, games and learning software. The digital divide remains stark, however. In 2024, almost 95% of people in high-income countries are connected to the internet, compared with about 25% in low-income countries.

“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come,” said Catherine Russell, Unicef’s executive director. “The decisions world leaders make today – or fail to make – define the world children will inherit … Decades of progress, particularly for girls, are under threat.”

Much of the emphasis of the report is on the impact of the climate crisis on children, nearly half of whom (approximately 1 billion) live in countries that face a high risk of environmental disasters. Even before they take their first breath, children’s brains, lungs and immune systems are susceptible to pollution, disease and extreme weather. As they grow, their education, nutrition, safety, security and mental health are shaped by the climate and environment.

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https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/nov/20/children-extreme-heatwaves-2050s-un

Greenpeace activists display a billboard during a protest outside Shell headquarters on July 27, 2023 in London.
Greenpeace activists display a billboard during a protest outside Shell headquarters on July 27, 2023 in London. (Photo: Handout/Chris J. Ratcliffe for Greenpeace via Getty Images)

Continue ReadingEight times more children will face extreme heatwaves by 2050s, Unicef says