Israeli forces may have repeatedly violated basic principles of the laws of war and failed to distinguish between civilians and combatants in their military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations human rights office said.
In a report assessing six Israeli attacks that caused a large number of casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, the UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that Israeli forces “may have systematically violated the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in the attack”.
“The requirement to choose means and methods of warfare that avoid or at least minimize civilian harm to every extent appears to have been consistently violated in Israel’s bombing campaign,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
Israel’s permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva characterized the analysis as “factually, legally and methodologically flawed.”
“Given that the OHCHR has, at best, a partial factual picture, any attempt to reach legal conclusions is inherently flawed,” the Israeli diplomatic mission said.
The report describes six incidents that occurred between October 7 and December 2, in which the UN Human Rights Office was able to assess the types of weapons, and the means and methods used in those attacks.
“We felt it was important to release this report now, especially because in the case of some of these attacks it has been about eight months and we have yet to see credible and transparent investigations,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Office for human rights.
“First, we call on the Israeli authorities to take steps to ensure proper and transparent investigations,” she said.
She added that, in the absence of transparent investigations, there would be a need for international action in this regard as well.
In the Israeli air and ground offensive, more than 37,400 people were killed in the Palestinian territory under the administration of Hamas, the health service of Gaza announced, according to Reuters.
