UN Expert Condemns Gaza Offensive as 'Collective Shame of Century'
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United Nations’ special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories criticized Israel's offensive in Gaza, calling it a “collective shame of the century,” as the international community fails to safeguard Palestinian rights.
Francesca Albanese expressed her concerns in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, condemning the prolonged Israeli assault on Gaza, which has resulted in widespread devastation, tens of thousands of civilian deaths, and multiple displacements of nearly the entire population in the blockaded territory.
“In Gaza, the collective shame of the century continues unabated and unstopped, in defiance of every norm of international law and morale,” Albanese wrote.
She added, “The Palestinians, exhausted by relentless attacks on their bodies and souls, are abandoned to their tormentors.”
Albanese also highlighted the severe human rights violations occurring in Gaza, describing “summary executions, mass forced displacements, and other egregious abuses” by Israeli forces as a “disgraceful testament to our global failure to protect basic human rights.”
“The United Nations, once a beacon of hope and force for peace, is crumbling under the weight of this shame — and the pressure of inaction or complicity from its most powerful member states,” she said.
The latest escalation began on October 7, 2023, when Israel launched a large-scale genocidal war following an attack by the Hamas resistance group, in retaliation for Israel’s continued oppression of Palestinians.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 42,603 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed, and 99,795 others wounded in the conflict so far.
Israel has issued mass evacuation orders and targeted hospitals and schools sheltering displaced civilians, actions condemned as violations of international law and genocide.
Despite the severe humanitarian crisis, efforts to halt the Israeli violence have been hindered by the United States and its allies, who continue to back Israel and block attempts by the United Nations to intervene.