An investigation by a United Nations-backed commission found that Israel and Palestinian groups committed war crimes in the brutal war in Gaza, and also accused Israel of “crimes against humanity.”
Two reports on the actions of Israel and Palestinian groups, released Wednesday by the Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI), constitute the first in-depth UN investigation into events since October 7. Both sides are accused of indiscriminate murder and sexual violence.
The use of the term “crimes against humanity”, as in the report against Israel, is generally reserved for the most serious international crimes committed knowingly as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians.
The findings, based on interviews with victims and witnesses, observations, satellite images, medical reports and verified open-source information, were quickly condemned by Israel, continuing the antagonism between the Israeli government and the organizations international.
The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, will present the reports to the council next week. They cover the period from the attack on southern Israel by Palestinian groups on October 7 until the end of 2023.
‘Extermination’
The report on Israel’s actions says it committed acts such as forced starvation, murder or intentional homicide, collective punishment and intentional attacks against civilians. It notes a “widespread or systematic attack directed against the civilian population of Gaza” by the Israeli army.
“The immense number of civilian casualties in Gaza and the widespread destruction of civilian property and infrastructure were the inevitable result of a strategy undertaken with the intention of causing maximum damage, disregarding the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution adequate,” indicates a press release from the COI.
“Crimes against humanity of extermination; murder; gender-based persecution targeting Palestinian men and boys; forced transfer; and acts of torture and inhuman and cruel treatment were committed,” we can read.
The frequency, prevalence and severity of sexual and gender-based crimes perpetrated by Israeli security forces against Palestinians during this period are signs that some forms of such violence “are part of the ISF’s operational procedures,” it added. -he.
More than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza war and around 85,000 others injured, according to data provided by the enclave’s health ministry.
“Deliberate murders, sexual violence”
Israel launched its war in Gaza after the October 7 attack, in which Palestinian groups killed around 1,140 people and took some 240 others captive in Gaza. Israel said 116 prisoners remained in Gaza, 41 of whom were believed to have died.
The report on the actions of Palestinian groups states that the military wings of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed deliberate killings and mistreatment of civilians, hostage-taking, and sexual and gender-based violence during the ‘attack. Civilians and members of the Israeli security forces were victims, he notes.
“These actions constitute war crimes and violations and abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law,” the report said.
“Women have been subjected to gender-based violence during their execution or kidnapping,” he says. However, he adds that reports of rape could not be independently verified. Hamas has repeatedly denied allegations that its fighters committed sexual violence during the attack.
The COI believes that it was “particularly egregious that children were the targets of kidnapping”.
The report also notes that Israeli authorities “failed to protect civilians in southern Israel on almost all fronts.”
‘Imperative’
“Israel must immediately cease its military operations and attacks in Gaza,” said IOC President Navi Pillay. “Hamas and Palestinian armed groups must immediately stop their rocket fire and release all hostages. Hostage-taking constitutes a war crime.
“It is imperative that all those who committed crimes are held accountable for their actions,” he added.
Israel, which refused to cooperate with the team of experts, was quick to condemn the report. Dismissing the findings, he accused the COI of “systematic anti-Israeli discrimination.”
Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7 during a major Jewish holiday. Today, on the occasion of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, the Pillay Commission of Inquiry chooses to publish its latest biased reports, attacking Israel.
This decision reflects the systematic anti-Israeli policy… pic.twitter.com/s1bb7DSuvm
— Israel at the UN/Geneva🇮🇱🇺🇳 | #BringThemHome (@IsraelinGeneva) June 12, 2024
“The CoI has proven once again that its actions are all in service of a political agenda narrowly directed against Israel. “Today’s reports confirm what we have said repeatedly: the Pillay Commission will never bring justice to the Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism,” said Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Meirav Eilon Shahar.
Israel has consistently accused international organizations, including the UN, of anti-Israeli bias and anti-Semitism, and these allegations have increased during the Gaza war.
He reacted with fury last month when the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) sought arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas leaders, alleging war crimes.