UN Has Stern Words for Israel and its Attack in Gaza

Here:

The United Nations blamed Israel for a burgeoning humanitarian crisis, including deaths, injuries and harm to children, from its offensive in Gaza in a strong statement released Saturday.

The three-page statement, listing charges separately from six UN-affiliated agencies, called for "urgent action" to halt the rapid deterioration. Israel rejected the charges.

The statement charged that Israel's military offensive has caused mass violations of human rights of civilians in Gaza. Some result from an Israeli attack that destroyed the main Gaza power station, others from the closing of vital crossing points and the rest from military operations, it said.

The world body expressed alarm over events in Gaza "which have seen innocent civilians, including children, killed, brought increased misery to hundreds of thousands of people and which will wreak far-reaching harm on Palestinian society."

Among the specific issues listed, the statement said Gaza is "on the bring of a public health disaster," including a shortage of medicines. Also, children in Gaza "are living in an environment of extraordinary violence, insecurity and fear."

In one of the six sections, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the statement faults the Palestinians while implying that Israel is hitting civilians on purpose. "The prohibition on targeting civilians is also being violated by Palestinian armed groups, launching missiles from the Gaza Strip into Israel, and must therefore end," it said.

The situation there continues to worsen, with many civilians (so far, all Palestinian, dead so far. To be fair, the missiles launched by the Palestinians are literally big spitballs compared to the fire power being shot by the other side.