GENEVA (Reuters) - The UN Human Rights Chief accused Israel on Wednesday of showing an unprecedented disregard for human rights in its military actions in Gaza and said Hamas had violated international law.

The United Nations’ Human Rights on Wednesday accused Israel of showing an unprecedented disregard for human rights in its military actions in Gaza, stating that Hamas also violated international law.

Volker Turk criticized both sides for humanitarian law violations, called for accountability, and warned against delegitimizing international institutions that uphold global law.

The Gaza war is the latest in decades of conflict between Israel and Palestinians. It began on Oct. 7, 2023, when fighters from the Islamist group Hamas stormed border defences from Gaza and attacked Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal "must hold", with just hours to go before an initial phase expires.

As the deadline for the first phase of the ceasefire approaches on Sunday, Egypt said intensive discussions between Israel and Hamas have begun in Cairo. Hamas stated they were ready to start talks after Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages.