GENEVA, November 8 /TASS/. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has described hostage-taking by Palestinian armed groups and Israel's "collective punishment" of Palestinian civilians as war crimes.

During his visit to the Rafah checkpoint on the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip, the official said: "The atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian armed groups on October 7 were heinous, brutal and shocking, they were war crimes - as is the continued holding of hostages." "The collective punishment by Israel of Palestinian civilians amounts also to a war crime, as does the unlawful forcible evacuation of civilians," Turk pointed out.

The high commissioner stressed that "even in the context of a 56-year-old occupation, the current situation is the most dangerous in decades, faced by people in Gaza, in Israel, in the West Bank but also regionally."

Turk called on the parties to the conflict to agree on a ceasefire "as a matter of urgency." He said that "three critical human rights imperatives" must be met: ensuring that humanitarian needs are adequately met throughout Gaza, releasing "without conditions and immediately" all hostages held since October 7, and promoting a long-term end to the occupation based on the right of Palestinians and Israelis to self-determination.

On November 7, Turk embarked on a five-day trip to the Middle East. The first stop was Egypt. A visit to Jordan is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.