According to the UN human rights office, it is “profoundly shocked” by the effects of the Israeli operation in central Gaza, which freed four Hamas hostages, on civilians.
Hundreds of Palestinians were killed and injured on Saturday in the crowded Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Palestinian health officials. According to Israel’s military, less than 100 people died.
The action by Israeli soldiers “seriously calls into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution were respected,” according to UN spokesman Jeremy Laurence, and may even constitute war crimes.
Additionally, he warned that if Palestinian armed organizations keep holding hostages in populated areas, they may be charged with war crimes for “putting the lives of Palestinian civilians, as well as the hostages themselves, at added risk.”
Israel’s UN mission in Geneva declared the UN human rights office to be the target of “slander.”
“Hamas’s intentional strategy to maximize civilian harm is the primary cause of the toll this war has taken on civilians,” a statement read.
“Those who, like the UN human rights office, continue to provide cover for Hamas terrorists are complicit in the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis.”
