The UN human rights office calls for an investigation into a “possible war crime” after Israeli forces allegedly “executed” 11 Palestinian men in Gaza.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an independent investigation into allegations that Israeli forces “summarily executed” at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, which it called a “possible war crime.” “.
“Israeli authorities must immediately open an independent, thorough and effective investigation into these allegations, and if they are found to be founded, those responsible must be brought to justice and measures implemented to prevent such serious violations from happening again.” , said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in a statement released Wednesday.
Disturbing reports of the summary execution of at least 11 unarmed Palestinian men in front of family members in the Al Remal neighborhood.#Gaza #opt #IHL #human rights
– UN Human Rights OPT (@OHCHR_Palestine) December 20, 2023
Tel Aviv Tribune spoke to several witnesses about Tuesday’s raid in which Israeli troops reportedly surrounded and stormed a residential building, moving from floor to floor to separate men from women and children, then shooting dead 11 men in front of their family members. The men were aged between 20 and 30, according to survivors.
“They saw us, men, their wives and their children. My brother-in-law tried to speak and explain that everyone in the house was civilian, but they shot him,” a survivor told Tel Aviv Tribune of the attack on families who were sheltering in the al-Adwa building in the Remal neighborhood of Gaza City.
The soldiers “forced their way into every house, killed the men and arrested the women and children. We don’t know where they are. They did the same thing on every floor. All the women were gathered in one room. By the time they reached the sixth floor, they started shooting at all the men,” one woman said, adding that her father-in-law and son were shot dead instantly.
Survivors also said Israeli soldiers also attacked the women and children after ordering them to enter a room in the residential block also known as the Annan building.
“The Israeli soldiers gathered all the women in a room, then fired three mortar shells at us, then continued to fire at us with their machine guns,” said one injured woman.
“I was shot in the hand, my daughter in the head, my youngest daughter was killed and my son is blind. My husband was executed in cold blood. All my other daughters suffered serious injuries, broken bones and torn flesh. We were all hit by bullets or shrapnel,” she added.
Analyst Tamer Qarmout, an assistant professor at the Doha Institute of Advanced Studies, welcomed the UN’s call for an investigation into “unlawful killings”, telling Tel Aviv Tribune that the key question is how these investigations will be carried out.
None of the entities potentially investigating alleged Israeli crimes against Palestinians are currently allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, Qarmout noted.
Other witnesses recalled that the men were forced to strip before being shot, and one man said that “even young boys were not spared.” They were all beaten and clubbed. They suffered fractures and are hospitalized.
There has been no comment from the Israeli military on the attack.
