Hundreds of UN staff at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have asked rights chief Volker Turk to explicitly describe the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The letter, sent on Wednesday, said staff believe the legal criteria for genocide in the nearly two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been met, citing the scale and scope of violations.
“OHCHR has a strong legal and moral responsibility to denounce acts of genocide,” said the letter signed by the Staff Committee on behalf of over 500 employees. “Failing to denounce an unfolding genocide undermines the credibility of the U.N. and the human rights system itself,” it added.
