Israel must be held accountable, say UN experts
Islamabad (UrduPoint News Today/ Pakistan Point News - DW Urdu - December 31, 2024) Eleven UN human rights experts have said in a joint statement that Israel has the support of allied countries and is committing ‘atrocities’ against the residents of Gaza under this guise.
These experts have further said that the protection of civilians has been ensured under international humanitarian law, but “instead of abiding by these laws, Israel is repeatedly violating these international laws and is subjecting civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond to maximum suffering.”
According to these experts, Israel has not faced real consequences so far because a major reason for this is that it is protected by its allies.
The armed conflict in the Gaza Strip began when the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a major terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. At least 1,200 people were killed in this attack, most of whom were civilians.
In addition, Hamas fighters took more than 250 hostages and took them to the Gaza Strip. The United States, the European Union and other Western powers consider Hamas a terrorist group.
Following this horrific attack on civilians by Palestinian militants, Israel began air, sea and ground attacks against Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip, as a result of which, according to Palestinian sources, about 45,541 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip to date, most of whom were civilians.
Demand for an independent and transparent investigation
UN human rights experts have also mentioned alleged crimes against humanity by Israel, including murder, torture, sexual violence and repeated forced displacement.
These experts have also accused it of committing alleged war crimes. It has been reported that these include ‘indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, the use of starvation as a weapon of war and collective punishment’.
They added that “these acts of total or partial destruction amount to genocide.”
The experts called for an immediate, independent and thorough investigation into alleged serious violations of international law. They said that Israel’s immunity sends a dangerous message, and that Israel and its leaders must be held accountable.
The experts said they were particularly concerned about Israeli military operations in the northern Gaza Strip. Since October 6 this year, Israeli operations have been focused on northern Gaza, with the aim of preventing Hamas from regrouping there.
It should be noted that these UN human rights experts are not UN spokespeople.
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