A/HRC/RES/55/28 Expressing grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and all other actions designed to change the legal status, geographical character and demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and at the determination on 26 January 2024 by the International Court of Justice that there is a plausible risk of genocide, Deploring the grave consequences of the conflict in and around the Gaza Strip, including the high number of casualties, in particular among Palestinian civilians, including infants, children, women, youth, civil society actors, lawyers, journalists and other media workers, medical personnel, humanitarian aid workers and the highest number of United Nations staff killed anywhere in the world during a conflict, as well as ongoing violations of international law, and calling for full respect for international humanitarian and human rights law and for the principles of legality, distinction, precaution and proportionality, Appalled by the catastrophic humanitarian, socioeconomic and security situation in the Gaza Strip resulting from repeated military operations, prolonged closures and severe economic impediments and movement restrictions, including for humanitarian access, amounting to collective punishment in the form of a blockade, as well as the use of starvation as a method of warfare, which has resulted in famine, and the obstruction of supplies indispensable for the survival of the civilian population, the widespread and wanton destruction of residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure, including refugee camps, United Nations facilities, educational institutions, medical facilities, water, sanitation and telecommunication networks and fuel supplies by Israel, the occupying Power, and the shortand long-term detrimental impact of this situation on human rights, Expressing grave concern at the firing of rockets into Israel, Stressing the need to end immediately the closure of the Gaza Strip and all policies and practices by Israel, in violation of international law, including its obligations as the occupying Power under international humanitarian law, Stressing also the need to end the Israeli policy of closures and the imposition of severe restrictions and checkpoints, several of which have been transformed into structures akin to permanent border crossings, other physical obstacles and a permit regime, which are applied in a discriminatory manner, affecting the Palestinian population only and all of which obstruct the freedom of movement of persons and goods, including medical and humanitarian goods, throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and impair the Territory’s contiguity, violating the human rights of the Palestinian people, Stressing further the need for all parties, in conformity with relevant provisions of international humanitarian law, to cooperate fully with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies and organizations, to allow full, timely, unconditional, unhindered and safe humanitarian access and to ensure access of humanitarian personnel and the delivery of supplies and equipment in order to allow such personnel to efficiently perform their task of assisting affected civilian populations, including refugees and internally displaced persons, and the need for the independence, neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian organizations to be respected and protected in accordance with international law, Deploring all policies and practices whereby Israeli settlers who reside illegally in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, are accorded preferential treatment over the Palestinian population, and deploring also the widespread violations of the human rights of Palestinian civilians, including as a result of recurrent and escalating terror attacks by settlers, Expressing deep concern that thousands of Palestinians, including many children, women, elected members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and human rights defenders, continue to be detained, including under terms of administrative detention, with limited or no judicial recourse, and held in Israeli prisons or detention centres under harsh conditions, including unhygienic conditions, solitary confinement, with restricted access to proper medical care, denial of family visits and denial of due process, which impair their well-being, 3