Palestine: UN rights chief highlights suffering, atrocity crimes ‘that remain unpunished’

stemming from Israel’s disregard for human rights norms and serious violations also committed by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

Citing a new report from his office (OHCHR) covering the 12 months to 31 October 2025, High Commissioner Türk said that Israel had “continued attacks on residential buildings and makeshift tents, destroying entire neighbourhoods”.

“Mass civilian deaths” resulted from the Israeli attacks, the UN rights chief noted, with more than 25,500 Palestinians killed in the space of one year, and more than 68,800 injured.

Killed in search of food

A total of 2,435 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military near food collection points run by the non-UN Gaza Humanitarian Foundation between late May and early October, Mr. Türk also said, adding that most were young men and boys.

In the West Bank, Israeli security forces “continued to launch airstrikes and use unlawful force, killing hundreds of Palestinians,” he added.

Since last October’s fragile ceasefire, more than 600 Palestinians have been killed with over 1,600 injured in Gaza, according to local authorities. “Anywhere else, this would be considered a major crisis,” the rights chief said. 

Independent human rights expert monitoring the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, highlighted the “catastrophic” situation facing Gazans today.

The Special Rapporteur said that families “survive in flooded tents while people continue to die from gunfire, hunger and preventable diseases”, despite the truce.

Ms. Albanese – who does not work for the UN and reports to the Human Rights Council - was speaking in Geneva alongside other independent experts, who condemned repeated attempts to undermine their work for the Council’s “Special Procedures” mandates.

Attacks on independent experts ‘beyond the pale’

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, rejected calls for Ms. Albanese to resign along with “personal vendettas” against independent experts, following the publication of an online video misrepresenting her comments about Israel.

Ms. Albanese was sanctioned by the United States last July for alleged “gross infringement” on national sovereignty, together with judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) beginning in February last year.

Mr. Bennett said that all States which feature in reports and statements by Special Procedures mandate holders “may strongly disagree and are fully entitled to express those disagreements forcefully.

“However, deliberately misrepresenting the statements or views of mandate holders and attacking them personally is beyond the pale. International sanctions are for human rights violators and criminals, not for human rights defenders.”

Special Rapporteurs and other independent human rights experts are not UN staff and they are not paid for their work. Human rights is one of the fundamental pillars of all the United Nations’ work, along with peace, security and development.