GENEVA: Egypt warned on Tuesday that Israel鈥檚 planned ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza would have 鈥渃atastrophic repercussions鈥� for peace in the Middle East.
Foreign ministers from Arab League countries told the United Nations Human Rights Council that some nations were turning a blind eye to the suffering in Gaza.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the extreme polarization exposed by the Gaza war had laid bare the double standards of some members of the UN鈥檚 top rights body.
Israel has said a truce with Hamas would delay, not prevent, a ground invasion of Rafah on the Egyptian border, where an estimated 1.4 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge from the war.
鈥淭he world is witnessing the most heinous crimes and violations against the Palestinian people,鈥� Shoukry said.
He called for an immediate ceasefire and urged Israel not to attack Rafah.
鈥淎ny military action in the present circumstances would have catastrophic repercussions that undermine peace in the region,鈥� he warned.
The war in Gaza began after the Hamas militant group that controls the Palestinian territory launched an attack on October 7 that killed about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.
Hamas militants also took hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza.
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza have killed at least 29,878 people, most of them women and children, according to the territory鈥檚 Hamas-run health ministry.
Shoukry said some countries on the 47-member Human Rights Council in Geneva were shying away from the firm action they had taken over other conflicts.
鈥淚t seems that life in Gaza is not worthy enough of their attention, that the massacre of tens of thousands of children fails to shake their otherwise all-too-sensitive conscience,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he lives of Gaza鈥檚 children are seemingly less valuable than others.
鈥淭his preludes the... collapse of the international system, including this council.鈥�
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya said the 鈥渂rutal crimes of the Israeli occupation forces against defenseless civilians鈥� had led to 鈥渃atastrophic crisis and destruction.鈥�
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said the world 鈥渃annot keep turning a blind eye鈥� to the 鈥渦nprecedented human disaster鈥� in Gaza.
Qatari International Cooperation Minister Lolwah Al-Khater said Gaza was witnessing a 鈥済enocidal war,鈥� while the situation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was also deteriorating.
鈥淪ponsoring this Israeli exceptionalism above international law by some global powers should stop,鈥� she told the council.
Meanwhile Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar, speaking via video-link, said human rights were being violated in Gaza 鈥渨ith the utmost barbarism鈥� and said the international community had been 鈥減aralyzed because of a handful of countries.鈥�