UN official: Around 1,000 killed in Gaza since ceasefire and severe deterioration in the West Bank

GAZA, June 16 (YPA) –UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that Israeli occupation forces have killed around 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the announcement of the ceasefire last October.

In a speech before the Human Rights Council, Türk stated that the occupation is pushing Palestinians into an ever-shrinking area within the Gaza Strip while imposing restrictions on life-saving aid.

He added that in the West Bank, occupation forces and settlers are accelerating the destruction of local communities and the annexation of land.

Türk noted that since the beginning of the year, 57 Palestinians have been killed and around 1,300 injured, many by settler gunfire, in addition to hundreds arrested and 23 land seizure orders issued.

He stressed that statements by some Israeli officials regarding the “removal” of all Palestinians from Gaza and the elimination of any possibility of a viable Palestinian state are completely unlawful.

@E.Y.M