“The vast majority of people care about human rights [and] reject cruelty,” he said, noting that many advocates nonetheless feel isolated and disconnected from each other.

Taking questions from journalists, he addressed crises around the world and called for greater respect for international law, especially with regard to the rights of civilians trapped in conflict zones.

Hamas and Israel both condemned

Mr. Türk reiterated deep concern over the situation in Gaza, where Palestinians are now confined to around 30 per cent of the territory, face severe shortages of food and essential services and continue to be killed by Israeli forces.

He urged the next Israeli Government, following Tuesday’s election, to “change the course of warfare” and respect international humanitarian law.

He also rejected accusations that the UN only condemns Israel, stressing that it has repeatedly denounced the 7 October attacks and closely monitors abuses by Hamas and Palestinian authorities. He expressed particular concern over reports of extrajudicial executions by Hamas militants.

Asked what leverage the UN can have in the crucial relationship with a future Israeli Government that controls aid flows, Mr. Türk said monitoring activities in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria were “extremely important” since it kept decision making factual and make sure the world was properly informed.

More empathy for Ukrainians

Mr. Türk also expressed deep concern over rising attacks on Ukrainian civilians, warning that casualties could reach their highest levels since 2022 amid intensified drone warfare.

Attacks on electricity grids – particularly devastating for older people and people with disabilities – have been compounded by strikes on railway infrastructure and supermarkets.

“I often feel there is no empathy about the plight of the civilians in Ukraine,” he said, urging greater attention to human rights in ceasefire and peace negotiations.

Houthis guilty of war crimes?

Asked whether Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and other civilian infrastructure constitute war crimes, Mr. Türk said targeting civilian sites “raise[s] questions of war crimes” since they are not clearly military targets.

He also called for the immediate and unconditional release of 71 UN workers detained by the Houthis, expressing concern over reports of “very, very dire” conditions in detention centres under their control.