UN Human Rights Office on Gaza war: signs of war crimes
Published: Tuesday, Jan 2nd 2024, 05:20
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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 to this, I have serious concerns about 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," the Austrian told dpa. "Furthermore, collectively punishing the Palestinians is a war crime. Of course, courts will ultimately have to judge who committed which crimes."
It is difficult to assess whether crimes against humanity are being committed there. This means, for example, large-scale or systematic attacks against the civilian population. In order to assess this, it must also be investigated whether there is 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 bombardments, combined with the lack of effective humanitarian aid, there are serious concerns that need to be examined more closely."
The UN Human Rights Office, which Türk heads, is demanding the release of the hostages taken from Israel, an end to the aimless attacks by the Islamist Hamas, an end to the 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 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 afterwards," 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 suspended contact with his office in 2020. This goes back to a list of companies involved in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, 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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