Israel should face consequences for Gaza campaign – UN experts
United Nations rights experts said on December 30th, Israel must face the consequences for causing “maximum suffering” for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, claiming Israel was going against international law and being protected by its allies.
In a group statement, the 11 experts said: “International humanitarian law comprises a set of universal and binding rules to protect civilian objects and persons who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities and limits permissible means and methods of warfare, Arab News via AFP reports.
The experts also said: “Rather than abide by these rules, Israel has openly defied international law time and again, inflicting maximum suffering on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond.”
“Israel continues to face no real consequences, largely due to protection offered by its allies.”
The Gaza war reportedly stirred up the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7th 2023.
Israel’s reprisal military attack has killed over 45,500 people in Gaza, which are mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-led territory’s health ministry that the UN regards as trustworthy.
The experts have shed light on Israel’s alleged crimes against humanity, “including murder, torture, sexual violence, and repeated forced displacement amounting to forcible transfer.”
The group also discussed alleged war crimes, including “indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects” and “the use of starvation as a weapon of war” as well as “collective punishment.”
The experts also mentioned that “[a]cts aimed at their [civilians in Gaza] destruction in whole or in part are genocidal.”
The experts also sought urgency for independent and comprehensive investigations to be carried out which would look into the alleged gross breaches of international law.
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The experts added: “Israel’s continued impunity sends a dangerous message suggesting that parties to other conflicts around the world need not comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
The experts also said they were especially concerned about Israel’s operations in the northern Gaza strip.
Israeli operations in Gaza have been centred in the north since October 6th, as officials have said their land and air offensive intends to stop Hamas from reassembling.
The experts said: “This siege, coupled with expanding evacuation orders, appears intended to permanently displace the local population as a precursor to Gaza’s annexation.”
UN rights experts do not speak on the behalf of the United Nations, as they are independent and are mandated by the Human Rights Council.
The 11 experts include special rapporteurs on internally displaced persons; cultural rights; education; physical and mental health; arbitrary executions; the right to food; and protecting rights while countering terrorism.
The special rapporteur on the status of rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, was one of the experts.
Israel has called for her to be withdrawn, claiming that she is a “political activist” who is also misusing her power to hide her “hatred of Israel.”
On December 5th, Amnesty International published a report which accused Israel of committing acts of genocide towards Palestinians in Gaza, according to Arab News via AFP.
Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing “acts of genocide” in its report published on December 19th, which claimed that the country has killed thousands of Palestinians by stopping them from having clean water, claiming this is legally an act of genocide and extermination, Levantis reported via Reuters.
According to a report published on December 19th, by Doctors Without Borders, there is an obvious sign of “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, due to Palestinians being “forcibly displaced, trapped, and bombed,” as reported by the Middle East Eye.
Arab News via AFP, Reuters, Doctors Without Borders, United Nations, Middle East Eye, Pic: AP
