UN rapporteur urges urgent action after rescuers killed in Gaza

UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, on Monday urged states to take immediate action to halt the "carnage" in Gaza.

Albanese's comments came hours after five rescue workers, four journalists, and a firefighter were killed in an Israeli strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, early Monday morning. Several others were injured in the airstrike.

"Rescuers killed in line of duty. Scenes like this unfold every moment in Gaza, often unseen, largely undocumented," Albanese wrote on the US social media company X.

She called on governments to intervene decisively, warning that inaction perpetuates the violence.

"I beg STATES: how much more must be witnessed before you act to stop this carnage?" she asked.

Albanese reiterated her calls for urgent international measures, including an end to the blockade of Gaza, an arms embargo on Israel, and the imposition of sanctions.

Israel has killed nearly 62,700 Palestinians in a brutal assault in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.