UN experts call for all countries to recognise Palestine
A group of UN experts have called for all countries to recognise a Palestinian state to ensure peace in the Middle East. The experts, including the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, said the recognition was an important acknowledgement of the rights of the Palestinian people.
“This is a pre-condition for lasting peace in Palestine and the entire Middle East – beginning with the immediate declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza and no further military incursions into Rafah,” they said.
“A two-state solution remains the only internationally agreed path to peace and security for both Palestine and Israel and a way out of generational cycles of violence and resentment.”
The call comes less than a week after Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised a Palestinian state.
Slovenia files motion to delay vote on Palestinian recognition: Report
A spokeswoman for the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), a conservative opposition party led by former Prime Minister Janez Jansa, tells the AFP news agency that her party has filed a proposal to hold an advisory referendum on the decree for recognition.
The parliamentary vote, which was scheduled for Tuesday, will effectively be delayed by about 30 days.
Slovenia’s delay comes after Spain, Ireland and Norway recognised Palestinian statehood last week.
More than half of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed: UN
About 55 percent of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed, damaged or possibly damaged by the war, according to a preliminary satellite analysis carried out by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNSOAT).
The analysis, which surveyed 137,000 buildings in the enclave, found:
- 36,591 destroyed structures
- 16,513 severely damaged structures
- 47,368 moderately damaged structures
- 36,825 possibly damaged structures
Central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah and northern Gaza’s Gaza City experienced the worst damage between April 1 and May 3, said UNOSAT.
🚨 This map shows a comprehensive satellite imagery-based assessment of damage and destruction in Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory, as of 3 May 2024. #UNOSAT #Gaza pic.twitter.com/1Z7N15GR5t
— UNOSAT (@UNOSAT) June 3, 2024
Israel is back in Khan Younis
Israeli forces advance in Khan Younis, Gaza City: Report
Israeli military vehicles have broken into the city of Khan Younis and on the outskirts of the Shujayea neighbourhood in the east of Gaza City, the Wafa news agency reports.
According to local sources, Israeli forces advanced towards the towns of Abasan al-Jadidah and az-Zanna, east of Khan Yonis, with heavy gunfire and artillery shelling. They added that hundreds of citizens had been displaced due to the attacks.
In Gaza City, Israeli forces have made a limited incursion into the eastern Shujaiya neighbourhood using artillery shelling and drone fire.
