‘War Crimes Committed By All Parties' In Israel-Gaza War, Says UN Human Rights Chief

'It is time - well past time - for peace, investigation and accountability,' UN human rights chief Volker Turk said.

Updated on: 29 February 2024 8:22 pm

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk | Photo: AP

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said on Thursday that all parties involved in the Israel-Gaza war had committed war crimes and argued that those guilty should be investigated and held accountable.

Turk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as cited by news agency Reuters: "Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties."

"It is time - well past time - for peace, investigation and accountability."

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Turk presented a report on the human rights situation in Gaza and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where his office had recorded "many incidents that may amount to war crimes by Israeli forces."

He added there were also indications that Israeli forces have engaged in "indiscriminate or disproportionate targeting" in violation of international law.

The UN official also pointed out violations by Palestinian armed groups, launching indiscriminate projectiles across southern Israel and the holding of hostages.

On Thursday, Israeli troops in Gaza shot at least 104 Palestinians waiting for food aid, injuring 760 others. The United Nations estimates that 1.7 million people, or more than 80% of Gaza's population, are internally displaced, with almost half of them residing at the area's farthest southernmost point.

At least 30,035 people have been killed and 70,457 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 attacks stands at 1,139.