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| Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, briefing reporters in Geneva [PHOTO: UNifeed] |
Geneva: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) pressed Israel to avoid strikes on civilian
structures in Gaza, and UNICEF said children in the enclave were showing signs
of severe trauma after direct hits on dwellings that have killed dozens of
civilians.
Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR)
spokesman Rupert Colville said that at least 57 Palestinian civilians,
including 18 children, are confirmed as having been killed, according to OHCHR
monitors who say the death toll had doubled in the past 48 hours. Ten more
people were killed overnight but it was unclear how many were civilians.
Colville told journalists that "attacks affecting
schools and religious sites, as well as the reported targeting of homes and
media outlets during the past 48 hours raise serious concerns about Israel's
commitment to its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian
law".
Marixie Mercado, Spokesperson for UNICEF told journalists at
the same briefing: "Children are increasingly showing signs of severe
psychosocial distress – this includes inability to sleep, being afraid to go
out in public, clinging to parents, bedwetting, nightmares and withdrawal. The
children are surrounded by images of death and destruction."
Mercado added that some 31 residences in Gaza and two
buildings used by media have been hit by Israeli missiles so far, and hundreds
of people have been injured. -UNifeed