UN probe accuses Israel of ‘extermination’ in war on Gaza
An independent UN investigation has concluded that Israel committed crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza, including the crime of “extermination”.
“The crimes against humanity of extermination; murder; gender persecution targeting Palestinian men and boys; forcible transfer; and torture and inhuman and cruel treatment were committed,” the Commission of Inquiry said in a report, due to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council next week.
It also blamed Hamas for committing war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war.
The findings were from two parallel reports, one focusing on the October 7 Hamas attacks and another on Israel’s military response, published by the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI).
Israel does not cooperate with the commission, which it says has an anti-Israel bias. The COI says Israel obstructs its work and prevents investigators from accessing both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
UN inquiry says Israel and Hamas have both committed war crimes since October 7
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/12/middleeast/un-report-israel-hamas-gaza-war-crimes-intl-hnk/index.html
Palestinians inspect the destruction around residential buildings following Israeli air strikes in the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza on December 1, 2023
UN report chronicling Gaza war crimes is ‘damning’
The report by the UN’s independent Commission of Inquiry is damning. The bit that’s on the occupied Palestinian territory includes findings that are really serious.
According to the commission, Israel has carried out crimes against humanity, including the crime of extermination. It talks about Israel using starvation as a method of warfare, intentional attacks on civilians and collective punishment, including the use of sieges.
With regard to October 7, the report is very critical of Hamas. It says Hamas carried out war crimes too – wilful killings, murder and torture.
And it does say there are some instances of sexual violence and gender-based violence, although, on that, it’s worth noting that it’s looked at some of the allegations of rape made by Israeli authorities and some Israeli journalists and says it cannot independently verify some of those allegations.
A lot of evidence has clearly been gathered here that can potentially go to a judicial body at a later stage.
Footage shows Israeli soldiers killing unarmed Palestinians in Gaza
Al Jazeera has obtained footage from Gaza that appears to show Israeli soldiers killing Palestinian people.
The videos were captured around al-Rashid Street, a coastal road connecting north and south Gaza. Israel had designated it a safe zone for Palestinians wanting to move between those areas.
Footage from June 1 shows a person walking along the beach before Israeli soldiers appear to have stopped them. Moments later, the person is shot.
Another video appears to show a group of Palestinians walking north on May 17. One of them steps out of the group and raises their hands in the air, apparently showing they are unarmed. They are shot within minutes. Soldiers are then seen coming in to take the person’s body away.
Israeli forces conduct overnight raids across occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have carried out several overnight raids across the occupied West Bank in the following locations:
- Shuweika, north of Tulkarem
- Baqat al-Hatab, east of Qalqilya
- Balata refugee camp east of Nablus as well as the village of Burqa, northwest of the city
- Deir Ibzi and Budrus, west of Ramallah
- Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem
- Beit Ummar, north of Hebron
A general strike is also being observed in Jenin to mourn the Israeli military’s killing of six Palestinians on Tuesday evening in the town of Kafr Dan.
Since October 7, at least 544 people in the occupied West Bank have been killed in Israeli military and settler attacks. More than 5,200 Palestinians have also been wounded and at least 9,170 detained.
