The terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, the many deaths in the Gaza Strip and the dramatic supply situation for tens of thousands as a result of the Israeli attacks: UN Human Rights Commissioner Türk sees signs of war crimes.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, sees signs of war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity in the Middle East war.
On the Palestinian side, he mentions the terrorist attack by the militant Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7th and 8th, the indiscriminate firing of projectiles into Israel and the military action from civilian facilities.
But Türk is also critical of Israel’s actions: “If you look at how Israel reacted to it, I have serious concerns about compliance with both human rights and international humanitarian law,” the UN commissioner told the dpa news agency in genf.
Women and minors are particularly affected
Türk called on Germany and other states to demand that Israel comply with international humanitarian law and to clearly defend the United Nations against massive criticism, including from Israeli government circles. In the heavy Israeli bombings, 70 percent of those affected were women and minors. “It can be assumed that the majority of those who were hit are civilians,” said Türk. “Furthermore, collective punishment of the Palestinians is a war crime. Of course, courts ultimately have to judge who committed which crimes.”
It is difficult to assess whether there are crimes against humanity there. This refers, for example, to large-scale or systematic attacks against the civilian population. In order to assess this, it must also be examined whether there is a corresponding intention behind it.
“Serious concerns”
According to Türk, there are signs that crimes against humanity may have been committed: “Given the disproportionate and very heavy bombings, combined with the lack of effective humanitarian assistance, there are serious concerns that need to be examined further.” His office documents human rights violations that are likely to become relevant in future trials, said Türk.
The UN human rights office, which Türk heads, is demanding the release of the hostages abducted from Israel, an end to the aimless attacks by the Islamist Hamas, an end to the Israeli bombings and sufficient access for humanitarian aid. Israel is allowing only a limited number of trucks into the area, and humanitarian organizations say systematic distribution is not possible because of the constant bombing.
Israel rejects allegations
Recently, the accusations against the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip had become louder in view of the many deaths among the civilian population. “The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the occupied Gaza Strip, which constitutes a war crime,” said the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) in mid-December before a meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East war. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell criticized an “appalling lack of differentiation” and pointed to the killing of worshipers during prayer and the Israeli army’s accidental shooting of Israeli hostages.
In response, Israel accused the human rights organization of anti-Semitism. The Israeli government declared that this was an “anti-Semitic and anti-Israel organization.” HRW did not condemn the Islamist Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens on October 7 and has “no moral basis to talk about what is happening in Gaza when they turn a blind eye to the suffering and human rights of Israelis,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat.
But the US government had also recently warned Israel more and more urgently to provide greater protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Criminal Court has been investigating Hamas and Israel since 2021
At the beginning of December, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, visited Israel and the Palestinian territories and supported investigations into possible war crimes on all sides of the Middle East war. Well-founded allegations of suspected war crimes must be examined independently and quickly.
The Criminal Court based in The Hague has been investigating Hamas and Israel for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip since 2021. Palestine has been a contracting state since 2015. The court determined in 2021 that it also has jurisdiction over areas occupied since 1967, such as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel does not recognize the court.