During Tuesday's Human Rights Council debate in Geneva, the United Nations rights chief said Israel undermined regional peace and stability in last week's attack on Hamas leaders, who were in Qatar to negotiate a ceasefire.
"Israel's strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told delegates.
The airstrike risked undermining negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza's nearly two-year-old war, he said.
The strike, which Hamas says killed five of its members but not its leadership, has prompted U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states to close ranks. Arab and Islamic states held a summit in Doha on Monday to back Qatar.
Israel's ambassador in Geneva, speaking to reporters before the session, which Israel did not attend, called the debate a one-sided attack on Israel.
"This marks yet another shameful chapter in the Human Rights Council's ongoing abuse serving as a platform for anti-Israel propaganda, while ignoring the brutal realities on the ground and the atrocities committed by Hamas," Daniel Meron said.
Qatar urged council members to hold Israel accountable. The Israeli strike on Doha amounted to "state terrorism" and a direct threat to regional stability, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, told the Tuesday's debate.
Saudi Arabia's envoy in Geneva, Abdulmohsen Majed Binkhothaila, said, "Israeli actions are no longer sporadic violations, they constitute a systematic behaviour based on the indiscriminate killings ... and forced displacement in violation of all international norms and laws."
Algeria and Pakistan joined Qatar in condemning Israel, while the European Union expressed its solidarity with Qatar.
Separately on Tuesday, a U.N. Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, accusations Israel strongly rejected as it launched a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza.
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Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano is showing increased activity, with lava flowing from two summit craters and flames, smoke and ash rising from the caldera.
The Arctic has become a frontline for strategic competition, NATO’s top military commander in Europe said on Sunday, as Russia and China increase their presence in the region.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is suffering kidney failure and is undergoing dialysis, Ukrainian intelligence sources say.
More than 1,000 apartment buildings in Kyiv remain without heating after Russian missile attacks crippled the city’s energy system during a sharp cold snap, Ukrainian officials say.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out ordering a mission to capture Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he is confident the war in Ukraine can be brought to an end.
Bob Weir, the rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, has died at the age of 78, his family has said.
China, Russia and Iran have begun a week-long joint naval exercise in South African waters, a move that comes amid strained relations between Washington and several members of the expanded BRICS bloc.
Despite facing challenges in chip manufacturing, Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) researchers are optimistic about narrowing the technological gap with the United States, driven by an increasing culture of risk-taking and innovation.
Warning of a strategic threat from Russia and China, Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States must acquire Greenland to prevent the Arctic island from falling under foreign control.
Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano is showing increased activity, with lava flowing from two summit craters and flames, smoke and ash rising from the caldera.
The Arctic has become a frontline for strategic competition, NATO’s top military commander in Europe said on Sunday, as Russia and China increase their presence in the region.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is suffering kidney failure and is undergoing dialysis, Ukrainian intelligence sources say.
More than 1,000 apartment buildings in Kyiv remain without heating after Russian missile attacks crippled the city’s energy system during a sharp cold snap, Ukrainian officials say.
Deaths linked to nationwide protests in Iran have risen to more than 500, according to a U.S.-based rights group, as Tehran warned it would retaliate against U.S. military targets if Washington intervenes.
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