UN: Nuseirat Carnage by Israel Could Be War Crimes
NEW YORK (Dispatches) – The UN human rights office said on Tuesday the killings of civilians in Gaza during the Zionist regime’s aggression to release four captives, and also armed groups’ holding of captives in densely populated areas, could amount to war crimes.
The occupying regime said the raid, accompanied by an air assault, took place on Saturday in the heart of a residential neighborhood in central Gaza’s Nuseirat area where Hamas had kept the hostages in two separate apartment blocks.
The raid killed more than 270 Palestinians, according to Gazan health officials.
“The manner in which the raid was conducted in such a densely populated area seriously calls into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution — as set out under the laws of war — were respected by the Israeli forces,” Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, said.
‘Carnage Beyond Imagination’
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that “the speed and scale of carnage and killing in Gaza is beyond anything in my years as secretary-general”.
Guterres adds that at least 1.7 million people – 75 percent of Gaza’s population – have been displaced many times over by Israeli military attacks, Al Jazeera reported.
“Nowhere is safe, conditions are deplorable, public health situation is beyond crisis level. Gaza’s hospitals lie in ruins, medical supplies and fuel are scarce or non-existent,” he said.
“More than one million Palestinians in Gaza do not have enough drinking water and face desperate levels of hunger. Over 50,000 children require treatment for acute malnutrition,” he added.
Guterres has also called on parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
“This includes facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid both into and inside Gaza as they have committed. All available routes into Gaza must be operational and the land routes are absolutely crucial,” he said.
He also called for safe routes for humanitarian aid delivery and for protection of UNRWA workers who “need unimpeded access”.