GENEVA: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned the recent statements made by Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, in which he claimed that there was moral justification for starving civilians in the Gaza Strip, expressing his “shock and dismay” at these statements.

During a press conference in Geneva today, Turk stressed that the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime, adding: ‘The collective punishment of the Palestinian population is also a war crime.’

Turk warned: “This direct and public statement risks inciting other atrocity crimes.”

He added: ‘Such statements, especially by public officials, must cease immediately, they must be investigated and if found to amount to a crime, must be prosecuted and punished.’

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated the call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and permitting the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA