Gaza: demand 'reckoning' over 'horrific violations'

The UN Human Rights Office released a report Nov. 8 detailing six months of war in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024, denouncing the "horrific" suffering inflicted by Israel as well as Palestinian armed groups, and warning of potential crimes against humanity. In an accompanying release, the UN rights chief Volker Türk urged Israel to comply with international law. He warned that there would be a "due reckoning with respect to allegations of serious violations of international law through credible and impartial judicial bodies…"

The report painted a disturbing picture of Israel's offensive into Northern Gaza, while also condemning the October 7 attacks by Hamas and subsequent actions by Palestinian armed groups. Almost 70% of the 8,119 verified civilian deaths from air-strikes, shelling and other military actions have been women and children under the age of 14. The report found that 80% of the verified fatalities were in residential buildings, while 44% of those deaths were children and 26 percent were women.

Turk added:

Our monitoring indicates that this unprecedented level of killing, and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law —namely the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack. Tragically these documented patterns of violations continue unabated, over one year after the start of the war.

The report characterized the current crisis as reflective of Israel's "long standing patterns of discrimination, oppression and violence against Palestinian people" including the "systemic fragmentation of Palestinian communities." and "segregation from Jewish Israeli communities."

The report found that between October 7, 2023 and April 30 of this year, 34,535 Palestinians were killed in Gaza with another 77,704 injured and an estimated 10,000 more buried beneath rubble. The report speculated that the actual number of deaths is actually higher due to the destruction of vital infrastructure, subsequent food and water shortages, rampant disease, and the near-total collapse of healthcare in the Gaza Strip.

While the Israel Defense Force (IDF) have asserted that the targeting of hospitals and schools has been due to armed groups' use of these facilities for military purposes, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been unable to verify the claims. Despite this, the report expressed "serious concerns" with allegations that Palestinian armed groups had used civilians as human shields, and condemned firings of indiscriminate projectiles from Gaza into Israel.

A portion of the report was dedicated to claims that Israel has restricted aid deliveries into Gaza, leading to hunger and starvation, and in some cases attacked people attempting to obtain aid. It also noted claims that Israe has used white phosphorus munitions in Gaza City. White phosphorus is an incendiary chemical that can cause debilitating injuries and poison the environment over time.

The 32-page report also covered the continuing hostage crisis, attacks on journalists and civil society, and other human rights abuses. Israel has "categorically rejected the report," according to Reuters.

From Jurist, Nov. 9. Used with permission.

See our last reports on accusations of genocide against Israel.