Human Rights Commissioner: Signs of war crimes in Gaza war
Published: Tuesday, Jan 2nd 2024, 03:20
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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."
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."
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