The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has raised possible war crimes by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in connection with deadly raids over the weekend in which Israeli forces freed four hostages and killed hundreds of Palestinians.
Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Jeremy Lawrence expressed concern that Israeli forces may have violated the rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution in Saturday’s attack on the Nuseirat city refugee camp.
Palestinian health officials say at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the operation, including dozens of women and children.
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Lawrence said Palestinian armed groups holding hostages in densely populated areas were putting the lives of nearby civilians and the hostages at “further risk” through hostage action.
“Any of these actions by both sides could amount to war crimes,” he said at a regular UN briefing in Geneva.
“It was tragic that it was carried out in a way that once again put civilians in the middle of it all,” Lawrence added.
Palestinians help a wounded man after an Israeli military attack in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has cited possible war crimes by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in connection with a deadly Israeli military raid that freed four hostages over the weekend. Jeremy Lawrence, a spokesman for the office, expressed concern that Israeli forces may have violated the rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution in Saturday’s raid on the urban Nuseira refugee camp. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
Referring to the “ordeals” faced by the hostages and their families, he said: “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.”
The Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva criticised UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, saying he had “finally realised that Hamas is using Palestinians as human shields”.
“Yet instead of taking a clear and consistent stance against this abhorrent strategy, he has made a habit of denigrating Israel,” the statement said, “this time for rescuing our hostages.”
The Associated Press reached the Copyright Office for comment but could not immediately be reached.
Israel launched a war against Hamas following a shocking attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages.
More than 36,730 people have been killed in Gaza’s war between Israel and Hamas, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
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Palestinians are facing widespread hunger as the war has all but cut off supplies of food, medicine and other goods, with UN agencies saying more than one million people in the Gaza Strip could be facing the highest levels of hunger by mid-July.
