GENEVA – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Volker Turk,
stated that there are signs of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the
Gaza war, reported
Aussiedlerbote, a Russian-language German newspaper.
اضافة اعلان
Turk told the German Press Agency in
Geneva, "I have serious concerns about [Israel’s] compliance with both
human rights and international humanitarian law."
In the heavy Israeli bombings, 70 percent of
those affected were women and children. "It can be assumed that the
majority of those who have been hit are civilians," Turk added “Collectively
punishing the
Palestinians is a war crime. Of course, courts must
ultimately judge who has committed which crimes."
According to the Palestinian health
authorities, almost 22,000 people have been killed in the
Gaza Strip since the
war began almost three months ago.
According to Turk, there are indications that
crimes against humanity may have been committed, "Given the
disproportionate and very heavy bombardments, combined with the lack of
effective humanitarian assistance, there are serious concerns that need to be
further investigated."
Turk said his office’s documents of
Israeli human rights violations may become relevant in future trials.
Turk called on Germany and other states to
demand Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law and to
defend the United Nations against massive criticism.
He is in talks with all those who influence
the warring parties, including the USA, European states, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar,
and Iran.
The UN Human Rights Office, which Turk heads,
is calling for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas, as well as an end to
the occupation’s attacks and sufficient access to humanitarian aid.
Israel is only allowing a very limited number
of trucks into the area, and humanitarian organizations say that systematic
distribution is not possible due to the constant bombing.
Israel has suspended contact with the
human rights office.
Israel had put contact with his office on hold
in 2020. This goes back to a list of companies involved in the construction of
illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, which was
requested by the UN Human Rights Council and published at the time.
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