UN human rights activist sees signs of war crimes in Gaza
The war in Israel and the Gaza Strip has been raging for almost three months. The situation in the narrow coastal strip is confusing. Nevertheless, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recognizes signs of war crimes on both sides.
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 the military action from civilian facilities. Regarding Israel, Türk said 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 that Israel comply with international humanitarian law and to clearly defend the United Nations against massive criticism, including from Israeli government crises.
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," said the Austrian. "Furthermore, collectively punishing the Palestinians is a war crime. Of course, courts will ultimately have to judge who 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: "In view of the disproportionate and very heavy bombing, combined with the lack of effective humanitarian aid, there are serious concerns that need to be examined more closely."
Humanitarian aid made more difficult by bombs
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 Israeli bombing 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. His office is documenting human rights violations that may become relevant in future trials, Türk said. This does not change the situation during the war, he said. "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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The UN Human Rights Council has expressed concern over alleged war crimes committed during the Israel-Gaza conflict, specifically mentioning Hamas' use of civilian facilities for military actions and indiscriminate firing towards Israel. The Israeli response to these actions, as seen by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, raises questions about compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law. The heavy Israeli bombings have disproportionately affected civilians, predominantly women and minors, leading to concerns of collective punishment as a war crime.
Source: www.ntv.de
