GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories / GENEVA — The UN rights chief on Tuesday condemned Israel's ground assault on Gaza City as "utterly unacceptable", demanding an end to the "carnage" and warning of growing evidence of genocide in the Palestinian territory.

 

"It is absolutely clear that this carnage must stop," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told AFP and Reuters when asked about the launch of Israel's long-anticipated ground assault on Gaza's largest city.

 

"The whole world screams for peace. Palestinians, Israelis scream for peace. Everyone wants an end to this, and what we see is a further escalation which is totally and utterly unacceptable," he said.

 

Turk highlighted that in recent days "we have seen expanding attacks in the northwestern parts of Gaza, where the population had sought shelter from previous attacks."

 

He decried in particular "the ongoing bombardment of residential buildings, buildings that have served as shelters for people who have been displaced multiple times".

 

"These attacks need to stop."

 

He pointed out that the Israeli military "repeatedly claimed that it is targeting so-called terrorist infrastructure".

 

"So far, we haven't seen any evidence of this," he stressed, emphasising that "under the rules of war, an attack may never be targeted at civilians who are not taking part in hostilities."

 

The UN rights chief stressed that "the people of Gaza cannot sustain yet another intensification of violence and destruction and killings and lack of humanitarian assistance that needs to come."

 

"I can only think of what it means for women, malnourished children, for people with disabilities, if they are again attacked in this way," he said.

 

Turk's comments came after an independent team of UN investigators published a report concluding that Israel was committing genocide in its war in Gaza, which erupted following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack inside Israel.

 

"We see the piling up of war crime after war crime after war crime, of crime against humanity, and potentially even more," Turk said said.

 

"It's for the court to decide whether it's genocide or not, and we see the evidence mounting."

 

Meanwhile , Israel launched its long anticipated ground assault on Gaza City before dawn on Tuesday, shortly after visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed its goal of eradicating Hamas in Gaza.

 

A United Nations probe meanwhile charged Israel with committing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials of incitement.

 

The assault drew widespread condemnation, with the UN rights chief demanding an end to the "carnage".

 

During the night, the military unleashed a massive bombardment of Gaza City as Israeli troops moved deeper into the territory's largest urban hub.

 

"Last night, we transitioned into the next phase, the main phase of the plan for Gaza City... Forces have expanded ground activity into Hamas's main stronghold in Gaza, which is Gaza City," a military official told journalists.

 

"We are moving towards the centre" of Gaza City, he said.

 

The military estimated there were 2,000-3,000 Hamas militants operating in the area, he added.

 

Defence Minister Israel Katz earlier said Gaza City was "on fire". "The IDF [Israeli military] is striking terrorist infrastructure with an iron fist," he said.

 

The military estimated that about "40 percent" of Gaza City residents had left and moved to the territory's south, the military official said.

 

Witnesses told AFP of relentless bombing in Gaza City, much of which is already in ruins after nearly two years of Israeli strikes.

 

Only huge piles of rubble remained of a residential block in the north of the city hit by overnight bombing.

 

"Why kill children sleeping safely like that, turning them into body parts?" said Abu Abd Zaquout.

 

"We pulled the children out in pieces."