Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed, wounded 40,000 people: Iran’s top rights official

Iran’s top human rights official says Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has killed and injured at least 40,000 people.

Addressing a Tuesday meeting in Tehran on unfolding tragedies in Gaza, Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, stated that both human rights and international law are being blatantly violated in light of Israeli atrocities in the blockaded enclave.

“Over the past month, the Zionist regime has perpetrated all forms of crimes in the Gaza Strip. what is going on there could be best explained as a crime against humanity, war crime, genocide as well as racial and ethnic cleansing within the jurisdiction of international criminal law, for which there exist abundant evidence,” Gharibabadi said.

He added that at least 40,000 Gazans have been killed and injured in the last 32 days, stressing that while 100,000 Palestinians have lost their lives over a span of 75 years as a result of the Israeli occupation, 10,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in just one month.

Gharibabadi also pointed out that more than 70% of the victims in Gaza are women and children.

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“Contrary to their claims about advocacy for the rights of women and children, Western countries have kept mum on the matter. Employment of internationally-banned munitions such as white phosphorus [bomb], forced displacement, extermination of population by blocking the entry of food and medicine, along with siege and encirclement of Gaza population since October 8, are examples of offenses committed by the Zionist regime under the international criminal law,” Iran’s top rights official stated.

He went on to say that civilian facilities, such as homes, educational and religious centers, and hospitals have been bombarded in the four weeks since the conflict began, describing the actions as examples of internationally recognized war crimes.

The secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights underscored that the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention have been violated in light of the Israeli strikes against the defenseless people of Gaza. 

“The Zionist regime has destroyed and undermined the dignity of international organizations, human rights and humanitarian mechanisms as a consequence of its crimes. The UN Security Council has failed to adopt any measure aimed at ending such crimes. Although the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Gaza resolution was a good step, it was ineffective and could not stop crimes. The Gaza Strip has turned into a giant display area of crimes and violations of international law,” Gharibabadi said.

He also roundly dismissed the Israeli claims about the right to self-defense, emphasizing that only Gazans, who have been suffering from oppression, siege and occupation for decades, are entitled to the right in terms of international law.

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Gharibabadi further argued that the Tel Aviv regime’s claims about the right to self-defense lack legal basis, as it is an aggressor and an occupier.

The senior Iranian official pointed to the forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, stating that nearly 1.5 million people have been internally displaced as a result of Israeli attacks, and the move is a clear example of international crimes.

Gharibabadi finally criticized the United States for its abject failure to restrain the war and minimize the damage caused by Israeli attacks, arguing that Washington has rendered all forms of military and logistical support to Tel Aviv, and the Congress’s approval of more than 14 billion dollars in aid to Israel falls within the framework of such backing.

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