UN Raises Concern Over Reports Of Forced Disappearances At Gaza Aid Distribution Sites

GENEVA, Aug 29 (Bernama-QNA) -- United Nations (UN) experts reported receiving accounts of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including a child, who were forcibly disappeared after heading to aid distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Rafah, accusing the Israeli occupation forces of direct involvement, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

In a report published on Thursday, the seven UN experts stated that the Israeli occupation military was directly involved in cases of enforced disappearance of individuals seeking assistance, urging the Israeli occupation to put an end to this heinous crime.

They described these actions as violations of international law, noting that daily airstrikes and gunfire in and around crowded centres resulted in numerous casualties.

The experts warned that aid distribution points now pose additional risks of enforced disappearance, calling for an end to the atrocity against an already vulnerable population and demanding clarity on the fate and location of the disappeared, as well as thorough and impartial investigations and accountability for perpetrators.

The statement was signed by five members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, along with UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, and UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri.

Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported documenting the deaths of 1,857 Palestinians while waiting for aid since late May, including 1,021 near centres operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the Israeli occupation and the United States.

-- BERNAMA-QNA