GAZA,(The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, stated that the current ceasefire in Gaza is insufficient to address the genocide being inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation, supported by the United States.
A fragile truce, brokered by the US, is currently in place in Gaza. It aims to end a two-year-long war of extermination, facilitate the return of the bodies of Israeli prisoners, and allow more humanitarian aid into the Strip as a prelude to reconstruction.
However, Albanese described the plan as “completely inadequate and incompatible with international law,” emphasizing the need to end the Israeli occupation, halt the exploitation of Palestinian resources, and dismantle the colonial system.
She noted that Israeli forces currently control nearly half of Gaza’s territory and stressed: “This is not a war, it is a genocide, with a clear intent to eliminate an entire people.”
Albanese is presently in South Africa, where she is scheduled to deliver the annual “Nelson Mandela Lecture” on October 25, coinciding with Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza.
The UN official has been under US sanctions since July due to her outspoken criticism of Israel. She is expected to present her latest report to the UN in the coming days.
In the report’s draft version, published on the UN website, Albanese described Western support for Israel as “the culmination of a long history of complicity.”
UN investigators and several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have accused Israeli authorities of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies the allegations, calling them “distorted and false,” and accuses those making the claims of antisemitism.
