As the death toll rises six weeks after the start of the war sparked by US-Israeli attacks on Iran, several United Nations (UN) agencies called today for an end to impunity for widespread violations of international law in the Middle East, French media reported.
In a joint statement, the heads of those UN agencies said they were "alarmed by the continued violations of the laws of war and international humanitarian law" in the region.
"Even wars have rules and those rules must be respected," the statement added.
The authors of the joint statement, including Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher and the heads of UN agencies for human rights, health, food, refugees and children, condemned the rising death toll since US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered war in the region on February 28.
"In just one month in the Middle East, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or injured. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, many multiple times," the statement said, adding that the number of victims is rising and basic services are becoming increasingly difficult to access.
"Health workers, hospitals and ambulances have been targeted. Schools have been hit. Civilian infrastructure, including bridges, residential buildings, houses, drinking water facilities and power plants, has been destroyed," UN agencies stressed, expressing concern about the impact of the war on women, children and people with disabilities.
"We call on all parties - whether UN member states or armed groups - to respect their legal obligations to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel, and civilian infrastructure," the statement added.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
