Disability Rights in Crisis: UN Faults Global Inaction in Gaza
A UN report highlights inadequate global efforts to protect 90,000 people with disabilities in Gaza amid ongoing conflict. The committee urges Israel, Palestinian authorities, and foreign nations to provide better safeguards and care, criticizing the international community for failing to fulfill obligations to protect this vulnerable population in emergency situations.
- Country:
- Switzerland
The United Nations' Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has issued a critical report on global shortcomings in protecting individuals with disabilities in Gaza. Amid the protracted Israel-Hamas conflict, the number of affected individuals has risen sharply, now totaling approximately 90,000, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.
The UN committee emphasized the need for immediate action from Israel to shield disabled children from harm and implored Palestinian officials to ensure adequate care for these individuals. Moreover, it called on foreign nations sheltering displaced Gazans with disabilities not to repatriate them while the conflict persists.
Muhannad Salah Al-Azzeh, a committee expert, expressed grave concern over the compounded challenges people with disabilities encounter in Gaza's conflict-ridden environment. The report aligns with a periodic human rights review that also assessed conditions in Finland, Kiribati, the Maldives, and North Korea.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Google News