Title: UN Experts Condemn Hamas and Israel for War Crimes in Gaza
Dozens of independent UN experts have strongly condemned the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the Israeli government for their involvement in war crimes during the recent conflict in Gaza. The experts, who speak on behalf of human rights but not the UN as a whole, have denounced the indiscriminate violence against innocent civilians and highlighted the need for accountability.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the experts voiced their condemnation of the horrific crimes committed by Hamas, including deliberate and widespread murders and hostage-taking of innocent civilians, particularly the elderly and children. They stressed that these actions constituted odious violations of international law and international crimes, for which Hamas must urgently be held accountable. The experts also emphasized that the taking of hostages by Hamas during conflicts amounted to a war crime and called for their immediate release.
While condemning Hamas, the experts also strongly criticized Israel’s indiscriminate military attacks on the Palestinian people in Gaza. They highlighted that the civilians in Gaza had been living under an illegal blockade for 16 years and had already endured five brutal wars, characterizing Israel’s response as a form of collective punishment against the inhabitants of the Strip, which is home to more than 2.3 million people.
The experts reproached Israel for preventing the arrival of basic necessities such as water, electricity, food, and medicine to Gaza. They warned that such actions would lead to a severe humanitarian crisis, with the population at an ineluctable risk of dying from hunger. The intentional creation of a famine was deemed a crime against humanity.
Fabrizio Carboni, the regional head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), echoed these concerns, emphasizing that the humanitarian situation in Gaza could quickly become impossible to manage.
The recent conflict, triggered by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s unprecedented offensive on Israeli soil, has resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people in Israel, predominantly civilians, according to local authorities. In response, Israel launched massive bombings in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,400 people, primarily civilians, as reported by Gazan authorities.
As the international community grapples with the aftermath of the conflict, the UN experts have shed light on the war crimes committed by both Hamas and Israel, calling for accountability and a concerted effort to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The impartiality of their condemnation demonstrates their commitment to upholding international law and human rights principles in conflicts worldwide.
