Israeli authorities are responsible for a litany of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Gaza since October 7, according to a report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
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“The Israeli authorities are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during military operations and attacks in Gaza since October 7, 2023. The commission also found that Palestinian armed groups are responsible for war crimes committed in Israel,” the document says.
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Members of the UN commission concluded that Tel Aviv was responsible for war crimes related to starvation as a method of warfare, premeditated killing or killing, deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, arbitrary detention and attacks on personal dignity.
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“The commission concluded that crimes against humanity of extermination, sexual persecution of Palestinian men and boys, murder, forced displacement, torture and inhumane and cruel treatment were also committed,” the report added.
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The UN also found that the “massive” number of civilian casualties in Gaza and the widespread destruction of civilian sites and infrastructure were the inevitable result of a strategy undertaken with the intention of causing maximum harm, ignoring the principles of distinction, proportionality and due precaution.
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The document emphasizes that Tel Aviv obstructed the commission’s investigations and prevented its access to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
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“The report found that specific forms of sexual and gender-based violence are part of the operational procedures of the Israeli security forces. This conclusion is reached due to the frequency, prevalence and severity of violations, which include public stripping and nudity, aimed at humiliating society as a whole and increasing the subjugation of the occupied people,” the Commission noted.
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In the West Bank, UN experts found that Israeli military forces committed acts of sexual violence, torture and inhumane or cruel treatment, and attacks on human dignity, all of which amount to war crimes.
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The actions of Hamas and six other Palestinian armed groups on October 7, as well as ongoing rocket attacks on Israel, are also considered war crimes.
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The UN press service clarified that this report will be presented to states on June 19 at the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
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In May, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan said he was applying to the Pre-Trial Chamber for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. In his statement, he noted that they are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed since October 2023.
