‘History will judge us all if there is no ceasefire in Gaza’: UN envoy

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, has said that history will judge the world if they did not stop Israel war of revenge on Gaza.

 “I run the UN agency for Palestine refugees. History will judge us all if there is no ceasefire in Gaza,” Philippe Lazzarini said.

In an opinion piece in The Guardian, he wrote, “The generations to come will know that we watched this human tragedy unfold over social media and news channels.

“We will not be able to say we did not know. History will ask why the world did not have the courage to act decisively and stop this hell on Earth,” he added.

“Entire neighbourhoods are being flattened over the heads of civilians in one of the most overcrowded spots on Earth. The IDF has been warning Palestinians in Gaza to move to the southern part of the strip as it bombs the north; but the strikes also continue in the south. There is nowhere safe in Gaza,” he wrote.

Israel is waging a “war of revenge” on Gaza aimed at its total destruction, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said on Thursday.

“So many wars have taken place (in Gaza), this is different. This time it’s a war of revenge,” al-Maliki told reporters in The Hague.

Also read: Who is Motaz Azaiza?

“This war has no real objective, rather than the total destruction of every livable place in Gaza. This war is not directed by military plans, there are no norms respected. All international rules of war are violated.”

Gaza is reeling from almost three weeks of Israeli bombardment, which was triggered by a mass killing spree in southern Israel by the Iranian-backed Hamas militants who run Gaza. Israel says it has the right to defend itself.

Al-Maliki urged international leaders to press Israel for a full ceasefire to make sure urgently needed humanitarian aid can be brought into Gaza.

At a summit in Brussels, EU leaders on Thursday are expected to limit their plea to “pauses” in bombardments, but al-Maliki said this was unacceptable, as it would not ensure aid could come in and water and electricity supplies be reinstated.

During his visit to The Hague, al-Maliki visited the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity on Palestinian territory from 2014 onwards.