The UN expressed concern that “war crimes” have been and continue to be committed in the conflict between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas. ““We are very concerned that war crimes are being committed.”
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“We are concerned about the collective punishment inflicted on Gazans in response to the egregious attacks by Hamas, which also constitute war crimes,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, during the regular briefing. of the UN in Geneva.
Israel has incessantly bombarded the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip since the Islamist movement’s unprecedented attacks on Israeli territory on October 7 that left more than 1,400 dead, the vast majority civilians, and more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
The bombing of the Palestinian territory by the Israeli armed forces, which also established a near-complete blockade of Gaza, caused more than 7,000 deaths, according to the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.
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“Collective punishment is a war crime. The collective punishment inflicted by Israel on the entire population of Gaza must stop immediately,” the spokesperson added, also denouncing the use of long-range explosives in densely populated areas.
“Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Forcing people to evacuate in these circumstances (…) and while they are under a complete siege raises serious concerns about forced transfers, which constitute a war crime,” the spokesperson added.
“Indiscriminate attacks by Palestinian armed groups, especially the firing of unguided rockets towards Israel, must stop,” he demanded. These Palestinian armed groups “They must immediately and unconditionally release all captured and still detained civilians.
The taking of hostages also constitutes a war crime,” Shamdasani recalled. When asked whether it was possible to speak of a genocide in progress against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, Shamdasani stressed that it was not up to the High Commissioner to pronounce.
“The classification of other crimes must actually be carried out by a court as part of an independent procedure,” he responded. The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an official investigation in 2021 into the Palestinian territories, mainly into alleged crimes committed by Israeli forces, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.
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Established in 2002, the ICC is the only independent international court investigating crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, refused to cooperate with the investigation or recognize its jurisdiction.
AFP
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