United Nations experts, including the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, warned on Thursday that Palestinians face a “serious risk of genocide” in Gaza, amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

“We are convinced that the Palestinian people are at serious risk of genocide,” wrote the independent experts, who report under the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council, although their findings are not published on behalf of the UN.

“Now is the time to take action. Israel’s allies also bear a responsibility and must act now to prevent this disastrous path,” she added.

The Ecuadorian government expresses its concern about the Israeli bombing of the refugee camp in Gaza

The experts expressed “growing disgust” at the Israeli bombing of the Jabaliya refugee camp, which they characterized as a “blatant violation of international law.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday that these bombings in the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip “could constitute war crimes.”

The experts also called for the immediate release “of all civilians held captive” since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

“All parties must respect their obligations in the application of international humanitarian law and human rights,” they stressed.

“We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure aid reaches those who need it most. A ceasefire also means the possibility of opening communication channels to ensure the release of the hostages,” she added.

The war began on October 7 after the raid by Hamas commandos that Israel says killed more than 1,400 people in the south of the country, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 240 people taken hostage to Gaza.

In retaliation, Israel unleashed a campaign of relentless bombing, intensified by ground attacks since last Friday, which Hamas says killed more than 9,000, including 3,760 children.