Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, has denounced the current US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza as insufficient, warning that it does nothing to halt the ongoing genocide inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation.

The fragile truce, intended to temporarily ease the humanitarian crisis, has been criticized for failing to address the root causes of the conflict, including Israel’s systematic occupation, resource exploitation, and colonial control over Palestinian lands. Albanese emphasized that a genuine solution requires an immediate end to the occupation and the dismantling of Israel’s colonial apparatus in Gaza.

“This is not a war,” Albanese stated bluntly, “it is a genocide, with a clear intent to eliminate an entire people.” She highlighted that Israeli forces continue to control nearly half of Gaza’s territory, imposing a stranglehold on the lives of millions of Palestinians.

Albanese is in South Africa to deliver the annual Nelson Mandela Lecture on October 25, coinciding with Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The case accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, reflecting growing international recognition of the atrocities against Palestinians.

The UN rapporteur, who has faced US sanctions since July due to her outspoken criticism of Israel, is set to present her latest report to the UN, detailing the systematic abuses and the complicity of Western powers. In a draft version of the report, Albanese described Western support for Israel as “the culmination of a long history of complicity” in crimes against the Palestinian people.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Despite this, Israel continues to deny these allegations, dismissing them as “distorted” while falsely accusing critics of antisemitism.

Albanese’s condemnation underscores the urgent need for the international community to hold Israel accountable and take decisive action to protect Palestinian lives, restore their rights, and end decades of oppression and occupation. (ILKHA)