The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) may have repeatedly violated fundamental principles of the laws of war in a series of unlawful indiscriminate attacks in Gaza, according to a report released by the United Nations (UN) Office of Human Rights on Wednesday. fair (19).
Released during the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the report details six notable attacks on Gaza residential buildings, a school, refugee camps and a market between October 9 and December 2, 2023, which involved the suspected use of GBU -31, GBU-32 and GBU-39 bombs.
The GBU-31, 32 and 39 bombs are mainly used to penetrate multiple floors of concrete and can completely bring down tall structures. Given the population density of the targeted areas, it is highly likely that the use of an explosive weapon with effects in such a populated area represents a prohibited indiscriminate attack, the report concludes.
The OHCHR reported that at least 218 deaths were confirmed as a direct consequence of the six attacks. However, he warned that the real death toll was likely to be significantly higher.
“The report concludes that these Israeli attacks indicate that the IDF may have repeatedly violated fundamental principles of the laws of war. In this context, it notes that illegal attacks when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, in line with state or organizational policy, may also involve the commission of crimes against humanity,” said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for voice of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at a press conference in Geneva.
The report also states that such illegal attacks may also involve the commission of crimes against humanity.
“Israel’s choices of methods and means to conduct hostilities in Gaza since October 7, including through the extensive use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas, have failed to ensure that they effectively distinguish between civilians and combatants,” it said. Laurence.
“It has become very clear to us that the nature of the weapons that were used, especially over a wide area, which have a wide area effect, is extremely dangerous in the context of Gaza, and we have said this, in various reports and statements, that Gaza is a very densely populated area and in these six incidents, we had sufficient information to identify civilian casualties, both in terms of deaths and injuries, and where we felt that the principles of international humanitarian law, particularly precaution, distinction and proportionality were not necessarily followed,” said Ajith Sunghay, OHCHR official in the occupied Palestinian territory.
While the report focuses primarily on Israel, it also highlights that Palestinian armed groups have continued to fire rockets indiscriminately at Israel, which is inconsistent with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Source: CNN Brasil
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