In an interview with UN News, UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert Francesca Albanese, said it was “impossible to describe the pain and suffering that Israelis are going through because of what happened to them...because there are not only those who were killed, those who were taken hostage, but there is an entire population that was completely shaken”.

But describing the UN chief’s words to the Security Council last Tuesday when he noted that the brutal attacks by Hamas fighters of 7 October “did not occur in a vacuum” as “brave”, she stressed Gazans have “already suffered five deadly wars…during the period Israel has declared an unlawful blockade over the Gaza Strip, entrapping 2.2 million people.”

And since 7 October "they have been recklessly bombarded with an average of 6,000 bombs launched per week,” she added.

Protecting children

Over 7,700 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli bombing campaign began, with more than 19,740 injured, said the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) on Saturday, according to the Hamas run Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Children’s Fund UNICEF reported earlier in the week that nearly 2,400 children were among the dead in Gaza, with women and children accounting for 66 per cent of the casualties.

“All schools have been targeted one way or another”, said Ms. Albanese.

“Schools have been hit by the bombings, hospitals have been hit by the bombings" and there has been a tightening of the blockade. "Israeli leaders, one way or another, are blaming and holding all Palestinians in Gaza responsible and are punishing all Palestinians in Gaza for what Hamas and other military groups have done”, she added.