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In a new report published against the backdrop of intensifying Israeli military operations in Gaza City, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, urged Israel and all countries to fulfil their obligations under international law \u201cto end the genocide\u201d and punish those responsible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,\u201d insisted Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission. \u201cIt is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Danny Hanon, dismissed the Commission’s “cherry-picked” findings outright, maintaining that the 70-plus page report “promotes a narrative serving Hamas and its supporters in attempting to delegitimize and demonize the state of Israel. The report falsely accuses Israel of genocidal intent, an allegation it cannot substantiate.”<\/p>\n
At a press conference in Geneva, the Commission of Inquiry’s members Ms. Pillay and Chris Sidoti – who are not UN staff but instead appointed by the Human Rights Council\u2019s 47 Member States – explained that their investigations into the war in Gaza beginning with Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023 had led to the conclusion that Israeli authorities and security forces \u201ccommitted four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide\u201d.<\/p>\n
These acts are:<\/p>\n
Ms. Pillay maintained that responsibility for the atrocity crimes \u201clies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons\u201d, amid \u201cexplicit statements\u201d denigrating Palestinians by Israeli civilian and military authorities.<\/p>\n
The Commission also analysed conduct of Israeli authorities and the Israeli security forces in Gaza, \u201cincluding imposing starvation and inhumane conditions of life for Palestinians in Gaza\u2026genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference that could be concluded from the nature of their operations\u201d, the panel said.<\/p>\n
The Commission\u2019s assertion follows its review of Israeli military operations in Gaza, \u201cincluding killing and seriously harming unprecedented numbers of Palestinians\u201d and the imposition of a \u201ctotal siege, including blocking humanitarian aid leading to starvation\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n
According to the UN aid coordination wing,\u00a0OCHA, nearly one million people remain in Gaza City, famine has been confirmed there, and residents face daily bombardment and \u201ccompromised access to means of survival after the Israeli military placed the entire city under a displacement order\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For its latest report, the panel also examined what it called the \u201csystematic destruction\u201d of healthcare and education in Gaza and \u201csystematic\u201d acts of sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition, the Commission of Inquiry reviewed the alleged \u201cdirect targeting\u201d of children and Israel\u2019s \u201cdisregarding [of] the orders of the International Court of Justice, which issued an order in March 2024 that Israel should take \u2018all necessary and effective measures to ensure\u2026the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance\u00a0to Palestinians throughout Gaza\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza,\u201d said Ms. Pillay.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cAll States are under a legal obligation to use all means that are reasonably available to them to stop the genocide in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n In a related development on Tuesday, the Human Rights Council shuffled its schedule to make way for an urgent debate on last week\u2019s Israeli strike on Hamas\u2019s political leadership in Qatar.<\/p>\n The strike targeted a neighbourhood of the Qatari capital, Doha, reportedly killing six people including five members of Hamas and prompting widespread condemnation including from the Security Council and Secretary-General.<\/p>\n In a statement, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres spoke out against what he called a \u201cflagrant violation\u201d of Qatari sovereignty and territorial integrity.<\/p>\n And at a Security Council meeting called in response to the strike, the UN\u2019s political affairs chief told ambassadors the attack in violation of Qatar\u2019s sovereignty was a serious threat to regional peace and security. It also undermined international mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, said Rosemary DiCarlo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nJustice call<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Qatari dimension<\/strong><\/h2>\n