The statement included condemnation of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and its blockade of the enclave, as well as criticism of Israel’s calls for Palestinians to evacuate the targeted areas.
Both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict could be committing war crimes, Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), has said.
During a press conference in Geneva on Friday, Shamdasani was asked if the Israeli bombing of Gaza in response to the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 could be characterized as “genocide.”
The spokesperson avoided a direct answer but said her agency was “concerned that war crimes are being committed. We are concerned about the collective punishment of Gazans in response to the atrocious attacks by Hamas, which also amounted to war crimes.”
She also stressed that the UN “at this point can’t go further than that,” adding that it was up to an independent court of law to determine whether war crimes have taken place.
Shamdasani also read a statement from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, in which he called on all sides of the conflict “to heed the calls for peace.”
This is not a “war zone”. This is a residential area.
This is #Gaza right now.#israel launched intense and unprecedented attacks on all parts of Gaza and completely cut off communications. pic.twitter.com/SVdNwsY7fD
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 27, 2023
The statement included condemnation of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and its blockade of the enclave, as well as criticism of Israel’s calls for Palestinians to evacuate the targeted areas.
“Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Compelling people to evacuate in these circumstances (..) and while under a complete siege raises serious concerns over forcible transfer, which is a war crime,” the statement read.
The Israeli bombardment “in densely populated areas has caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and loss of civilian lives that, by all appearances, is difficult to reconcile with international humanitarian law,” it added.
Meanwhile, Energy Minister Israel Katz, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told German tabloid Bild that “we are humane people. We are the most moral military in the world.” Israel does not want to harm the Palestinians, he claimed, saying the only goal is to “overwhelm” Hamas.
Israel has, thus far, killed 7,326, including nearly 3,000 children, and 1,700 women, and wounded over 19,000 more.
🚨PALESTINIAN RED CRESCENT: We have completely lost contact with the operations room in the Gaza Strip and with all our crews.
FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/yGczJST3Pj pic.twitter.com/pAaC8MpLyq
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 27, 2023
Palestinian Ministry of Health reports and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Israel says that 1,400 of its citizens were killed in Hamas-led attacks on October 7. Many of those killed are soldiers and officers in the Israeli occupation army.
Gaza has been under a tight Israeli military siege since 2007, following a democratic election in occupied Palestine, the results of which were rejected by Tel Aviv and Washington.
(RT, PC)
