(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) GENEVA, May 16 (KUNA) -- UN's human rights Commissioner Volker Turk condemned Israel's intensified attacks in Gaza and what seems to be an effort to permanently remove the population, describing it as "ethnic cleansing."
"This latest barrage of bombs, and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing," Volker Turk said in a statement.
A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, shortly after Israel re-imposed a total blockade on Gaza that aid agencies say has sparked critical food shortages, with famine looming.
Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that a clear intensification in attacks this week raised fears the wider Israeli offensive had begun.
"We must stop the clock on this madness," he said, urging all parties to stop the assault. (end)
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