UN human rights experts said on Monday that Israel must bear the consequences of “causing maximum suffering” to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. According to them, Israel is violating international law and is protected by its allies. TASR informs about this according to the report of the AFP agency.
“International humanitarian law consists of a set of universal and binding rules for the protection of civilian objects and persons who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities, and limits the permissible means and methods of waging war,” said a joint statement by 11 UN experts, among which included the UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese.
“Instead of abiding by these rules, Israel repeatedly openly violates international law and once again causes maximum suffering to civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond,” the experts continued. “Israel continues to face no real consequences, especially thanks to the protection provided by its allies.” they stated.
They called Israel’s continued impunity a dangerous signal, saying that Israel and its leaders must be held accountable for their actions.
Crimes against humanity
The experts pointed to alleged Israeli crimes against humanity “including murder, torture, sexual violence and repeated forced displacement amounting to forcible transfer”. They also pointed to alleged war crimes including “indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects… using hunger as a weapon of war and collective punishments”.
According to these experts, civilians are protected persons and do not constitute military targets under international law. “Acts aimed at their total or partial destruction are genocide,” they declared, calling for an expedited, independent and thorough investigation into these alleged violations of international law.
They consider the situation in the north of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has intensified its operations since October, to be worrying. “The aim of this siege, together with the expanding evacuation orders, appears to be the permanent displacement of the local population, which is a precursor to the annexation of the Gaza Strip,” the experts added.
