The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Tuesday that Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during the Israeli invasion. Surgery to rescue four hostages from Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
OHCHR also said Hamas could similarly be charged with war crimes for taking hostages and deliberately endangering civilians.
United Nations Human Rights Office Said “We are deeply shocked by the impact on civilians of the operation carried out by Israeli forces over the weekend to free four hostages in Al Nuseirat,” the ministry said.
The statement blamed both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas for causing heavy casualties during the operation.
Hundreds of Palestinians, many of them civilians, were reportedly killed or injured. The manner in which the attack was carried out in a populated area raises serious questions about whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution enshrined in the laws of war were respected by the Israeli military.
Our Office is also deeply concerned that Palestinian armed groups continue to hold large numbers of hostages, many of whom are civilians, a practice prohibited by international humanitarian law. Moreover, by holding hostages in such densely populated areas, armed groups are exposing the lives of not only the hostages themselves but also Palestinian civilians to additional risks from hostage action.
All of these actions by both parties may amount to war crimes.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk reiterated support for a “full and complete ceasefire,” including both “the release of hostages held by Palestinian armed groups” and “the exchange of Palestinian prisoners” by Israel.
Jeremy Lawrence, spokesperson for OHCHR Said It was “tragic” that Palestinian civilians were “caught in the middle of this.”
“The release of the four hostages is obviously very good news. These hostages should never have been taken in the first place. This is a violation of international humanitarian law. They must all be released immediately,” he added.
Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in Geneva Responded He combined this moral equivalence with indignation, accusing the OHCHR of “denigrating Israel” by saying that Israel may be guilty of the same human rights violations as Hamas terrorists.
“The civilian suffering of this war is first and foremost the result of a deliberate Hamas strategy to maximize harm to civilians,” the Israeli delegation said.
