UN - Human Rights Office: Signs of war crimes in Gaza
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, sees signs of war crimes and possibly also crimes against humanity in the Gaza war. On the Palestinian side, he cites the serious terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 and 8, the indiscriminate firing of bullets at Israel and military action from civilian facilities.
Regarding Israel, Türk told the German Press Agency in Geneva: "If you look at how Israel reacted, I have serious concerns about its compliance with both human rights and international humanitarian law."
Türk called on Germany and other states to demand compliance with international humanitarian law from Israel and to clearly defend the United Nations against massive criticism, including from Israeli government crises.
"Serious concerns that need to be examined more closely"
In the heavy Israeli bombings, 70 percent of those affected were women and minors. "It can be assumed that the majority of those who have been hit are civilians," the Austrian told dpa. "Furthermore, collectively punishing the Palestinians is a war crime. Of course, courts must ultimately judge who has committed which crimes."
Whether there are crimes against humanity there is difficult to judge. This means, for example, large-scale or systematic attacks against the civilian population. In order to assess this, it would also have to be investigated whether there was a corresponding intention behind it. According to Türk, there are indications that crimes against humanity may have been committed: "Given the disproportionate and very heavy bombardments, combined with the lack of effective humanitarian assistance, there are serious concerns that need to be further investigated."
The UN Human Rights Office, which Türk heads, is calling for the release of the hostages taken from Israel, an end to the aimless attacks by the Islamist Hamas, an end to the Israeli bombardments and sufficient access for humanitarian aid. Israel is only allowing a limited number of trucks into the area, and humanitarian organizations say that systematic distribution is not possible due to the constant bombing.
Israel has suspended contact with human rights office
His office documents human rights violations that may become relevant in future trials, Türk said. This does not change the situation during the war. "But there is also a time after," said the Human Rights Commissioner. He is in talks with all those who have influence on the warring parties, including the USA, European states, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Iran.
Israel had put contact with his office on hold in 2020. This goes back to a list of companies involved in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, which was requested by the UN Human Rights Council and published at the time.
The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history. Terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups killed 1,200 people near the border in Israel on October 7. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, almost 22,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began almost three months ago.
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- Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concerns about potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict, citing actions by both Hamas and Israel.
- Türk mentioned the indiscriminate firing of bullets at Israel and military action from civilian facilities on the Palestinian side, as well as Israel's response, which he found worrisome in terms of compliance with human rights and international law.
- Türk called upon Germany and other countries to support the United Nations and urge Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law.
- The heavy Israeli bombings had disproportionately affected women and children, and Türk raised concerns that collective punishment of Palestinians may constitute a war crime.
- The UN Human Rights Office, led by Türk, is advocating for the release of hostages, an end to attacks by Hamas, a halt to Israeli bombardments, and increased access for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
- Israel has temporarily suspended contact with the human rights office due to the publication of a list of companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements.
- The Gaza conflict was initiated by a terrorist attack in Israel that resulted in the death of 1,200 people, followed by Israeli retaliation and a war that has lasted nearly three months, causing the death of almost 22,000 people in the Gaza Strip as reported by the Hamas-controlled health authority.
- Türk's office is documenting human rights violations that may be relevant in future war crime trials and engaging with influential parties to promote peace and resolution of the conflicts.
- Germany should not remain silent on human rights violations, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and other regions, as doing so would neglect humanity's inherent value and allows war to escalate unchecked.
Source: www.stern.de
