Israel's reported plans to move Gaza's population to a small area in southern Gaza Strip, and threats from Israeli officials to deport Palestinians outside Gaza, are alarming, according to Türk.
"An expansion of the offensive against Gaza will almost certainly cause further mass displacements, more casualties among civilians, as well as the destruction of Gaza's small remaining infrastructure", he said in a statement.
It is "a very dangerous moment" for civilians in Gaza, says Volker Türk during a visit to Copenhagen on Wednesday.
We only see more destruction, more hatred, more dehumanization.
Israel announced on Monday that the military offensive in Gaza will be expanded, which is said to involve a "conquest" of the area. On Tuesday, Israel's ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that it means that the Gaza Strip will be completely destroyed.
According to Volker Türk, the parties must come to "reason and peace, and not just continuous struggles and wars". According to him, a ceasefire is needed, where all hostages are released "unconditionally and immediately".
He also says that the blockade that has lasted for two months must be lifted immediately.
Humanitarian aid must come in. It is an obligation under international law, he says.
The war started with Hamas' attack on Israel, 2023, when more than 1,100 people were killed, most of them civilians.
