Israel must stop excessive use of force in Gaza – UN rights chief

Israel must stop the excessive use of force by its security forces in Gaza, the UN human rights chief said on Friday. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said in a statement that in the past four weeks, 42 Palestinians had been killed and over 5,500 injured along the fence in Gaza, with no reports of Israeli casualties, Reuters reported. “The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly,” Zeid said. Israel must hold to account those responsible for the many deaths and injuries sustained by Palestinians in the past month, according to the official.