UN Human Rights Chief Accuses Israel and Hamas of War Crimes
UN rights chief condemns war crimes by Hamas and Israel as violence escalates Thousands of Palestinians seek safety as Israel's offensive intensifies against the Islamist militant group
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Israel initiated a war against Hamas on October 7 in response to the killing of 1,400 people and the abduction of approximately 240 others by militants. Furthermore, the unlawful forced evacuation of Palestinian civilians, along with the collective punishment imposed by Israel, is also considered a violation of international law and can be classified as a war crime.
"According to him, the present circumstances are the most perilous in years, encompassing the people in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, and the surrounding region, despite the ongoing 56-year-long occupation.
The Israeli military has staunchly defended itself against allegations of engaging in war crimes, asserting that its attacks on Hamas targets adhered to international law and aimed at reducing harm to civilians."
Palestinians inspect debris at the Khaled Ibn Al-Walid mosque after it was hit by an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis, on November 8.
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An Israeli soldier in northern Gaza on November 8.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
A Palestinian child receives treatment at Nasser Medical Hospital after a strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 7.
People hold Israeli flags in Jerusalem on November 7, one month after Hamas's attacks in Israel.
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At the Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital on November 6, a man walks between the shrouded bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment in Deir Balah, central Gaza.
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Soldiers are seen walking at a location given as Gaza, in this screengrab obtained from an Israel Defence Forces handout video released on November 5.
Israel Defense Forces/Reuters
On Saturday, November 4, a team successfully extinguished a fire within the debris of a demolished structure following an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza. The incident occurred during search and rescue operations.
Rockets are launched from Gaza into Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, in southern Israel, on November 4.
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Children wait for the return of Palestinian workers from Israel at the Rafah border in southern Gaza, on November 3.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Pictures of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas are displayed with balloons as part of an installation in Jerusalem on November 2.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Palestinians with dual citizenship show their passports while seeking permission to leave Gaza at the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, on November 1.
An Israeli Apache helicopter fires flares over Gaza, seen from Sderot, Israel, on November 1.
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Relatives mourn as bodies are carried for burial from Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on October 31.
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A Palestinian man holds his wounded child as they receive medical attention at Al-Najjar Hospital following an Israeli airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza on October 30.
Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa/AP
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli airstrikes in Rafah on October 30.
Manna grieves for her daughter Tamar Chaya Torpiashvili, a 9-year-old girl who passed away shortly after suffering a heart attack during a siren indicating the launch of rockets from Gaza into Israel. The funeral took place in Ashdod, southern Israel, on October 29.
Smoke and explosions are seen on the horizon in northern Gaza, amid Israel's bombardment of the enclave, on Saturday, October 28.
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Israeli firefighters and rescue teams assess destruction after a rocket attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 27.
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An Israeli air force F-15 tactical fighter jet flies along the border with Gaza near Sderot, Israel, on October 27.
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A woman looks from behind a gate at the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes at a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 26.
A Palestinian child is assisted as people search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a residential building in Gaza City on Wednesday, October 25.
Francisco Seco/AP
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Palestinians look for survivors in the rubble after Israeli strikes in Rafah in southern Gaza on October 23.
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Mourners hold hands during the funeral of Sgt. Yam Goldstein and her father, Nadav, in Kibbutz Shefayim, Israel, on October 23.
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Khaled Joudeh mourns his young sister, Misq, at the morgue at Deir Al-Balah hospital in Gaza on October 22.
Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on October 22.
Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux
Shadi Tabatibi/Reuters
Relatives of the hostages participate in the "Lighting up the Light" campaign in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 21, advocating for the safe return of their loved ones.
Children use candles for lighting in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday, October 20.
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Civil defense teams and residents continue search and rescue efforts at a Greek Orthodox church after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 20.
Rockets are fired from Gaza toward Israel on Thursday, October 19.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Israeli security inspects debris from a rocket in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, on October 18.
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The aftermath of a deadly explosion at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on October 18 is depicted in a viewpoint. Palestinian authorities attributed the incident to ongoing Israeli airstrikes, while a representative of the Israel Defense Forces claimed that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad group was responsible for a "botched rocket launch" which struck the hospital.
(Photo by Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images)
Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17.
A bakery prepares rations of bread to pass out to displaced Palestinians in the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza, on October 17.
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Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Palestinians carry a person wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, October 16.
Fatima Shbair/AP
The remains of a Palestinian house destroyed in Israeli strikes in central Gaza on October 15.
Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters
At Pardes Haim Cemetery in Kfar Saba, Israel, on October 15, Antonio MacÃas' mother weeps beside her son's lifeless body. MacÃas tragically lost his life during an Israeli music festival, where he was targeted and killed by Hamas.
Israeli army Puma armored personnel carriersmove in a column near the Gaza border in southern Israel on October 14.
Francisco Seco/AP
Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux
Israelis take cover after hearing warning sirens of incoming rockets fired from Gaza in Rehovot, Israel, on October 13.
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A Palestinian child is injured during bombing in Gaza on October 13.
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Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.
An Israeli soldier patrols near the Nova music festival grounds near Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.
Yousef Masoud/The New York Times
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An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11.
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An aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City on October 11.
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Israeli soldiers load donated food into the back of a military vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on October 11.
A mourner reacts while burying a child from the al-Agha family, who were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux
Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux
Israeli soldiers take position in Kfar Aza near the border with Gaza on October 10.
Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.
A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
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Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.
Oren Ziv/AP
Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank, on October 9.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.
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Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.
Oded Balilty/AP
Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.
Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.
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Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters
Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli airstrikes on October 7.
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Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.
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Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.
Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP licensed
Itai Ron/Reuters
Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7.
Fatima Shbair/AP
He described the Rafah crossing as a vital lifeline for over 2 million individuals residing in Gaza and emphasized the urgent need for increased aid delivery. He expressed his dismay at the insufficient support given, stating, "The lifeline has been unfairly and shockingly inadequate."
"In Rafah, I have personally observed the entrance to a horrifying reality," he declared in a statement. "A reality where individuals are suffocating amidst continuous bombardment, grieving for their loved ones, grappling with severe shortages of water, food, electricity, and fuel."
Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing to the south as Israel intensifies its offensive in Gaza City. Aid organizations have raised concerns about the risks of delivering supplies within Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported on Tuesday that their convoy was attacked, causing damage to two trucks and minor injuries to a driver. The ICRC did not assign blame for the incident.
