Geneva, Switzerland - Countries are at a moral crossroads over Israel's destruction of Gaza, UN experts warned Wednesday, urging action to halt the unchecked killing and avoid "the annihilation of the Palestinian population" in the territory.

Israel ripped up a ceasefire agreement in March resuming its campaign of mass starvation and destruction in Gaza. It has called up tens of thousands of reservists for a plan to complete a total "conquest" of the territory.

"The decision is stark: remain passive and witness the slaughter of innocents or take part in crafting a just resolution," dozens of United Nations-appointed independent experts said in a statement, urging the world to avert the "moral abyss we are descending into".

The experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the UN, said Israel's actions in Gaza "follow alarming, documented patterns of genocidal conduct."

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The experts, including Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, said that "while states debate terminology -- is it or is it not genocide? – Israel continues its relentless destruction of life in Gaza."

"No one is spared – not the children, persons with disabilities, nursing mothers, journalists, health professionals, aid workers, or hostages."

They highlighted the devastating impact of Israel's blockade on Gaza, where "Food and water have been cut off for months, inducing starvation, dehydration, and disease, which will result in more deaths becoming the daily reality for many."

Israeli officials' own statements, the experts said, "showcase a clear intent to wield starvation as a weapon of war."

Countries continuing to support Israel, especially militarily but also politically, they added, risk "complicity in genocide and other serious international crimes."

Successive US administrations have run roughshod over international law to sponsor and enable the Israel's assault, while shielding it from consequences at every turn.