Prohibits a siege

International humanitarian law prohibits a siege of Gaza, UN human rights commissioner says

From CNN's Eve Brennan

The imposition of sieges that endanger civilians by depriving them of essential goods “is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), said Tuesday.  

Shamdasani's comments come a day after Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, saying he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave following Hamas' devastating surprise attack over the weekend.

"These risks (are) seriously compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the capacity of medical facilities to operate, especially in light of the increasing number of injured people,” Shamdasani said Tuesday, speaking at a news conference in Geneva with UN humanitarian office representative Jens Laerke. 

Laerke said Tuesday the decision to cut off the water supply to Gaza affects more than 610,000 people and "will result in severe shortage of drinking water."

“We remain extremely alarmed by these rapidly escalating events,” said Laerke, adding that displacement across the Gaza Strip has reached more than 187,500 people since Saturday.  

"Since Saturday, four schools and eight health care facilities in Gaza have sustained damage. Destruction of infrastructure and streets has hindered the movement of civil defense and medical teams trying to reach victims,” he said, adding that health care, water and sanitation facilities have also sustained damage.