Albanese in Sarajevo: Israel has committed all elements of the definition of genocide in the Gaza Strip

(Patria) - UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese stated yesterday in Sarajevo that genocide is a process, not a single act, that it has a clear legal definition, and that Israel has committed all these elements of genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 gave a speech titled "When the World Sleeps" as part of the closing ceremony of this year's WARM Festival in Sarajevo.

She emphasized that genocide as a crime corresponds to a very clear legal definition that includes a clear intention to destroy a community.

- Israel has committed all elements of the definition of genocide in Gaza - Albanese asserted.

Reminding that nearly 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Israeli attacks in October 2023, she stated that among them are thousands who have died of hunger, thirst, and preventable and treatable diseases.

- More than 70 percent of the victims of genocide in Gaza have been women and children from the beginning. Not by chance, but due to Gaza's demographics, 18,000 children have been killed - she said, adding that genocide destroys the present and future of Palestinians in Gaza.

Emphasizing that genocide is not a single act, but an entire process, she stressed that it begins the moment one person stops seeing another as human and when hatred becomes a doctrine and a political ideology.

- Today, the question is no longer how we got here, how it all started. The question is how to stop it - Albanese stated.

She added that the forces behind evil can be countered by the strength of the army of morality, which does not command military resources but speaks and promotes truth, justice, and respect for human rights.

- Palestine is a test for humanity today - Albanese said and called for awakening and fighting for fundamental rights.