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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights accuses Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes

A report submitted by High Commissioner Volker Türk on Thursday to the UN Human Rights Council says attacks by Hamas and associated armed groups in October 2023, as well as Israel's current blockade of Gaza, constitute war crimes.

When presenting the report to the fifty-fifth session of the Council, Türk commented that “the siege imposed on Gaza is collective punishment, and may amount to the use of famine as a weapon, and both things, if committed intentionally, constitute war crimes.”

The document also considers the attacks and torture of civilians committed by Hamas on October 7 and 8, as well as the indiscriminate firing of shells at Israeli cities during the current conflict, as war crimes. In his speech, the Austrian High Commissioner stressed that the October attacks “were shocking and completely unjustified (…), but so was the brutality of the Israeli response.”

This response by Israel has included “an unprecedented level of killing and maiming of civilians in Gaza, including against UN staff and journalists, a humanitarian crisis resulting from restrictions on aid, and the displacement of at least three-quarters of the Strip’s population.” He stated that. The situation is “incomparably worse” than before, although Türk also noted that Palestinians have suffered “56 years of Israeli occupation with highly discriminatory surveillance systems.”

He added that the situation in the Gaza Strip is exacerbated by “16 years of siege that has practically led to the imprisonment of 2.2 million people and the destruction of the local economy.”

The High Commissioner used his intervention to warn against a possible large-scale Israeli military operation in Rafah, the southernmost part of Gaza, because, in his opinion, if it materializes, “it will take the Strip to a new miserable dimension.” “Given that 1.5 million displaced people from Gaza are crowded in that area. “A ground attack could cause massive loss of life, more horrific crimes, and new displacement to unsafe areas,” Türk warned.

“I cannot understand how such an operation can comply with the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice,” the High Commissioner said, referring to the Hague court ruling that urged Israel in January to take all necessary measures to prevent genocide. in Gaza.

Türk also highlighted the dangerous situation in the West Bank, where more than 7,000 Palestinians have been arbitrarily detained since October 7, including 3,400 without a trial in sight, and more than 600 are being held incommunicado. The Austrian High Commissioner concluded, “Israeli leaders must accept the right of the Palestinians to live in an independent state, and Palestinian leaders must take into account Israel’s right to exist in peace and security.”