By Janet Ekstract NEW YORK – In a report, detailing the war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHR) Volker Turk, underscored how crucial it is for Israel to comply with its obligations under international law and the rules of war. As Turk said: “It is essential that there is due reckoning with respect to the allegations of serious violations of international law through credible and impartial judicial bodies and that, in the meantime, all relevant information and evidence are collected and preserved.” The report covers a detailed analysis of violations over the six-month-period from November 2023 to April 2024 that takes a closer view of civilian killing and breaches of international law that could be construed to be war crimes. The report states that actions in Gaza could be possible war crimes that depends on whether violations were committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
According to the report: “The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in its series of orders on provisional measures, underscored the international obligations of Israel to prevent, protect against and punish acts of genocide and associated prohibited conduct.” The report also cited Palestinian groups and Hamas as being responsible for causing harm to civilians on October 7, 2023. As the report states: “On 7, October 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militants committed serious violations of international law on a wide scale, including attacks directed against Israeli and foreign civilians, killing and mistreatment of civilians, sexual violence, destruction of civilian objects and taking of hostages.” The report also said “These acts could amount to war crimes against humanity” and the report also stated that after the October 7 attacks that “Hamas and other armed groups, celebrated those attacks and violations, which was both “deeply troubling and totally unacceptable.”
