GENEVA: The UN rights chief said he was "appalled" by a deadly Israeli strike near a hospital in south Beirut on Monday, demanding a "prompt and thorough investigation." Lebanon's health ministry said that at least 18 people had been killed in the Israeli strike near the Rafic Hariri Hospital, Lebanon's biggest public health facility, located a few kilometres from the city centre. "I am appalled," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement, insisting that "the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law concerning the protection of civilians must be respected." He pointed out that four children reportedly figured among the at least 18 people killed, while 60 people had been wounded. Rescuers were on Tuesday still searching for survivors, amid fears that the toll may rise further. The facility in the densely populated Jnah neighbourhood sustained minor damage in the strike, with windows shattered and its solar panels destroyed, its director said. Turk stressed that "in the conduct of military operations, all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid, and in any event to minimise, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects." "Hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law because of their lifesaving function for the wounded and the sick," he said. "When conducting military operations in the vicinity of hospitals, parties to the conflict must assess the expected impact on healthcare services in relation to the principles of proportionality and precautions." The UN rights chief insisted that "any incidents which affect hospitals must be subjected to a prompt and thorough investigation."
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to work towards a Gaza ceasefire. Blinken also pressed for more aid to be allowed into the Palestinian territory as concerns rise for tens of thousands of civilians trapped by fighting in the hard-to-reach north. Blinken also "emphasised the need for Israel to take additional steps to increase and sustain the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and ensure that assistance reaches civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. SEE ALSO P6
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