Tel Aviv: The United Nations special rapporteur for besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank said that it's time for nations around the world to take concrete actions to stop the "genocide" in the blockaded enclave. Francesca Albanese spoke to delegates from 30 countries meeting in Colombia's capital on Tuesday to discuss the Israeli genocide in Gaza and ways that nations can try to stop Israel's carnage.
According to TRTworld.com, Albanese urged each state to "immediately review and suspend all ties with the State of Israel ... and ensure its private sector does the same." She emphasized that the Israeli economy is structured to sustain the occupation that has now turned genocidal. For decades, South Africa's ruling African National Congress party has compared Israel's policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to its own history of oppression under the apartheid regime, which ended in 1994.
The meeting coincides with the European Union considering measures against Israel, such as a ban on imports from Israeli illegal settlements, an arms embargo, and sanctions against Israeli officials obstructing peaceful solutions to the conflict. Colombia's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mauricio Jaramillo, stated that the participating nations, which include Qatar and Türkiye, will discuss diplomatic and judicial measures to pressure Israel to stop its attacks.
Jaramillo described Israel's actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as an affront to the international order, stressing that "this is not just about Palestine," but also about defending international law and the right to self-determination.
Israel has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its operations in Gaza. Palestine's official WAFA news agency reports that around 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under the rubble of destroyed homes. Experts believe the actual death toll could be as high as 200,000, significantly exceeding the reported figures. The ongoing conflict has left most of the blockaded enclave in ruins, displacing nearly all of its population. Additionally, Israel has blocked essential humanitarian aid, permitting only a controversial US-backed aid group to operate, which has been criticized as a "death trap."