The Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip could constitute war crimes, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Thursday, stressing that she had not received any evidence that the targeted buildings were used for military purposes.
Read also: 100,000 books under the ruins: in Gaza, the al-Mansour bookstore has not escaped the strikes
"
If it turns out that the impact on civilians and civilian objects is indiscriminate and disproportionate, this attack may constitute a war crime
," Michelle Bachelet said at the opening of an extraordinary meeting of the Human Rights Council of the UN man.
The conflict between Hamas and Israel, the fourth since 2008, erupted on May 10 with Hamas firing bursts of rockets at Israel in solidarity with the hundreds of Palestinians injured in days of clashes with Israeli police on the Mosques Esplanade in occupied East Jerusalem.
At the origin of the clashes, the threat of expulsion of Palestinian families for the benefit of Israeli settlers.
"
This escalation is directly linked to the protests and the strong response of the Israeli security forces, first in East Jerusalem, then throughout the occupied Palestinian territory and in Israel,
" Bachelet stressed.
Read also: Gaza: the UN Security Council calls for "full" respect for the ceasefire
She stressed that the rocket attacks launched by Hamas "
are indiscriminate and do not distinguish between military and civilian objects, and their use therefore constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law
".
As for the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, she said, they left "
many civilians dead and injured, and caused destruction and large-scale damage to civilian property
."
"No evidence in this regard"
These include “
government buildings, residential houses and buildings, international humanitarian organizations, medical facilities, media offices and roads allowing civilians to access essential services such as hospitals
”, she continued. And, noted the High Commissioner, "
despite Israel's claims that many of these buildings housed armed groups or were used for military purposes, we have not seen any evidence in this regard
."
The senior UN official also pointed out that the fact of implanting military means in densely populated civilian areas or launching attacks from them constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.
Read also: In Gaza, Hamas stands victorious in the shaky ruins
From May 10 to 21, 254 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, including 66 children and fighters, according to local authorities.
In Israel, rocket fire from Gaza killed 12 people, including a child, a teenage girl and a soldier.
“
There is no doubt that Israel has the right to defend its citizens and residents.
However, Palestinians also have rights.
The same rights,
”insisted Ms. Bachelet.
Finally, she called on the Israeli authorities "
to put an immediate end to the process of expulsions
" of Palestinian families, "in
accordance with Israel's obligations under international law
".
