Israel eyes ‘overall security’ of Gaza

By Nathan Morley

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is on a five-day tour of the Middle East.

Volker Turk's trip began in Egypt and he's also due to visit Jordan – but his exact itinerary is not yet known. He’s described the past month of fighting as one of incessant suffering, destruction and despair.  Speaking in Cairo, he said the bloodshed must stop.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he anticipates that Israel will have the overall security responsibility in Gaza after the conflict with Hamas ends.

Speaking to American television, Mr. Netanyahu said the security arrangements could be for an indefinite period and said there wouldn’t be a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the French ambassador to the UN has called for a ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza after a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.

The United Nations had already renewed its call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza over the weekend.

A statement on behalf of the leaders of eleven UN agencies, together with humanitarian groups, also urges Israel to protect civilians and allow more fuel, water, medicine and food into Gaza.

It said an entire population was besieged and denied access to the essentials for survival. It also said the deaths of 88 employees of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees represented the highest number of UN fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict.

Israel began bombarding Gaza after Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and abducted more than 200 others.

The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 10,000 people have been killed since 7 October.