Turk and Macron express concern over Gaza humanitarian situation

The UN's rights chief on Friday denounced Israel's sharp escalation of attacks in Gaza - and an apparent push to permanently displace the population as amounting to “ethnic cleansing.”

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“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.

‘INTOLERABLE: Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed on Friday that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was unacceptable, and said he hoped to discuss the matter soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is intolerable,” Macron told reporters, as he attended a meeting of European leaders in Albania. “We are reaching a level that we have never seen before, in terms of the humanitarian impact, since the beginning of this,” said Macron. Macron said the priority was on getting a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, and restoring access to humanitarian aid.

“I will have the opportunity to speak about this with Prime Minister Netanyahu and I have also raised the matter with President Trump,” he said. Trump, who ended a Middle East tour on Friday with no apparent progress towards a new ceasefire as Israel steps up its military campaign, has acknowledged Gaza's growing hunger crisis and the need for aid deliveries.

“We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of,” Trump told reporters.