An 11 member team from the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner’s office arrived in Gaza from Egypt on Saturday evening.According to Egyptian media, they will be investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian enclave. Gaza has been under Israeli siege since 2007. Supplies of clean water, food, medicine fuel and building supplies are strictly controlled by Israel and all are in short supply. The Israeli bombing campaign of 2008 left Gaza’s infrastructure severely damaged.
Israeli relations with the UN agencies have become strained in recent months. Israel cut all ties with UNHRC in March of this year in response to their investigation into illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In June, Israel joined the US in cutting off funding to UNESCO after it recognized the Church of the Nativity as a world heritage site.
