War crimes in the Gaza war
[1] A UN Commission to the Israel–Palestine conflict stated that there is "clear evidence that war crimes may have been committed in the latest explosion of violence in Israel and Gaza, and all those who have violated international law and targeted civilians must be held accountable.Louis René Beres has analyzed the placing of military assets amid Palestinian civilian populations, in previous anti-terror wars against Hamas, categorizing this as a clear and punishable crime under international law.[69] In response to the IDF allegations, Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert, who has worked both at al-Shifa and al-Quds, said that Israel had a well-documented history of attacking civilian healthcare facilities without ever providing real evidence they were used in military capacities.In response, Qatari official Mohammed El Emadi condemned Israel's claim, stating it was made "without concrete evidence or an independent investigation" and was a "blatant attempt to justify the occupation's targeting of civilian facilities.[118] Other Israeli officials, speaking anonymously, acknowledged that Israel has struck "private residences and public structures, like the Gaza Parliament and the Islamic University", which would not previously have been considered valuable enough to justify the risk to civilian life.[118] In April 2024, Human Rights Watch found that Israel violated international law by launching an airstrike on an apartment building in Gaza, killing 106 people, including 54 children, as there were no viable military targets in the area.[124] In October 2024, The New York Times reported compiled testimony from 44 doctors, nurses, and paramedics who treated multiple cases of preteen children with gunshot wounds to the head or chest in Gaza.Inquiries sent to the IDF regarding the experiences of these health care workers received a statement from a spokesperson that did not directly confirm whether investigations into the shootings of preteen children had been conducted or if any soldiers faced disciplinary action for firing at them.[125] In response to claims alleging that the report was based on "fabricated evidence", The New York Times issued a statement defending the integrity of the piece, emphasizing that it had undergone rigorous editing and verification, including consultations with experts and the use of supporting photographs, which they deemed "too horrific for publication."[136] On 12 January 2024, the spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights stated Israel's attacks were failing to account for distinction, proportionality and precautions, thus leaving Israeli exposed to liability for war crimes.[151] According to Reuters, Israel laid siege to Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, and launched the most powerful bombing campaign in the 75-year-old history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, destroying entire neighbourhoods.[152] Following reports about Israel's use of automated systems for target selection, experts in international humanitarian law stated they were alarmed by accounts that the IDF was accepting "damage ratios as high as 20 civilians", even for lower-ranking militants."[157] On 26 December 2023, Euro-Med Monitor submitted a file to the International Criminal Court and United Nations special rapporteurs documenting dozens of cases of field executions carried out by Israeli forces and calling for an investigation.[188] He reported widespread torture, including by medical staff, as well as electrocution during interrogations, sexual abuse, constant beatings, forced stripping, genital grabbing, and frequent occurrences of rape committed by both male and female soldiers.They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d'etat.Several actions taken by the Israeli army, including its blockade on electricity, food, fuel and water, were characterized as collective punishment, a war crime prohibited by treaty in both international and non-international armed conflicts, more specifically Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol II."[231] On 16 April 2024, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office stated, "Israel continues to impose unlawful restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance, and to carry out widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure".[233] Israel imposed a "complete siege" on Gaza in the first ten days of the war, due to alleged security concerns that weapons, fuel, and armaments would be transferred to Hamas in the guise of humanitarian aid.EuroMed additionally noted Israel deliberately focused its attacks on targeting electrical generators and solar energy units, on which commercial facilities and restaurants depend, to maintain the minimum possible level of their work.[311] On 12 January, the Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights stated that Israel's compelled evacuations had failed to ensure protections required under international law, thus constituting a potential war crime.[321] Shaul Arieli, a former IDF colonel and expert on Israeli borders, stated that the creation of a permanent buffer zone was illegal, since Israel is prohibited from altering the boundaries of Gaza as an occupying power."[323] Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, stated, "Extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, amounts to a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and a war crime.[340] Following the demolition of a Palestinian activist's family home in East Jerusalem — part of a broader wave of forced displacement in the West Bank[c] — the European Union External Action Service stated, "Such acts are in violation of International Humanitarian Law".[343] Following the Israeli approval of around 3,500 new illegal settlements in the West Bank, UN human rights chief Volker Türk stated the transfer of Israel's population into the occupied territories was a "war crime under international law".[344][345] Following the announcement that Israel was seizing 800 hectares of Palestinian land in the West Bank, the Federal Foreign Office stated, "The settlements violate international law and fuel further tensions in this extremely fragile situation.[348] According to BBC News, the "detained Palestinians are frequently shown blindfolded and restrained, having been forced to either lie on the floor, or squat, with their hands bound behind their backs", with some detainees being covered in Israeli flags.[387] Though he claimed that the soldiers were "under pressure" when this happened, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi also stated that "It is forbidden to shoot at someone who raises a white flag and seeks to surrender", a sentiment echoed by the former head of Mossad, Danny Yatom.[396] Aurel Sari, a professor of international law at the University of Exeter, stated, "By disguising themselves as civilians and as medical personnel, the Israeli forces involved in the operation appear to have resorted to perfidy in violation of the applicable rules.Another eyewitness asserted that the IDF paraded the wounded man around on the hood, keeping the victim under the hot sun for several minutes, until handing him over to a Palestinian Red Cross ambulance which was parked nearby.[420] In February 2024, the BBC published a report detailing documented instances of Israeli soldiers abusing and humiliating Palestinian detainees, which Mark Ellis, an expert on international criminal tribunals, said showed possible violations of laws regarding prisoners of war."[467] On 15 October, Third World approaches to international law published a statement signed by over 800 legal scholars expressing "alarm about the possibility of the crime of genocide being perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip".
War crimes in the Gaza War (2008–2009)Re'im music festival massacreGaza CityGaza warTimelineOutlineOctober 7 Hamas-led attack on IsraelMilitary engagementsSderotNahal OzOfakimNova music festival massacreNetiv HaAsaraAlumimBe'eriKfar AzaKissufimNir OzNir YitzhakIsraeli invasion of the Gaza StripBeit HanounJabalia IKhan YunisAl-QararaShuja'iyya IShuja'iyya ambushShuja'iyya IIInsurgency in the North Gaza StripKhan Yunis IIKhan Yunis IIINorth GazaIsraeli incursionsTulkarm IOperation Summer CampsTulkarm IIBattle of NetzarimGaza genocideIsraeli bombing of the Gaza StripRefugee campsJabalia31 OctoberAl-Fakhoora schoolAl-Shati refugee campAl-MaghaziSchoolsPalestinians evacuating GazaHealth facilitiesAl-Ahli Arab HospitalAl-Shifa HospitalAmbulanceNasser HospitalAttacks on religious sitesRafah strikesFlour massacreKuwait RoundaboutAttack on journalists in LebanonFriendly fireIDF killing of hostages in Shuja'iyyaTel al-SultanAl-Mawasi (May)Al-Sardi schoolNuseiratAl-Mawasi (June)Al-Shati and Tuffah9 July 2024 attacksAl-Awda schoolAl-Mawasi (July)Al-Shati (July)Khan Yunis (July)Khadija schoolHamama schoolAl-Tabaeen schoolDeir al-BalahAl-Mawasi (September)Al-Jawni schoolTulkarm CampDeir al-Balah mosqueRufaida schoolAl-Aqsa hospitalKilling of Shaban al-DalouAbu Hussein schoolBeit Lahia (19 October)Beit Lahia (29 October)Kerem Shalom aid convoy lootingAl-Mawasi (December)Nuseirat (December)Hamas war crimesHostage crisisPrisoner exchangeIsraeli war crimesIsraeli blockade of GazaFamineAI-assisted targetingMass detentionsSouth Africa v. IsraelICC arrest warrantsGaza Strip mass gravesTortureExecutions and assassinationsKilling of journalistsList of journalistsGaza humanitarian crisisChildrenHealthcare collapsePremature babiesImpacts and repercussionsDiplomatic impact2023 ceasefire2025 ceasefireCalls for a ceasefireEconomic impactOther theatersRed Sea crisisOperation Prosperity GuardianAttacks on the MV Maersk HangzhouOperation Poseidon ArcherMarlin Luanda missile strikeOperation AspidesSinking of the MV RubymarAttacks on the MV Tutor2024 Houthi drone attack on Israel20 July 2024 Israeli attack on YemenAttacks on the Sounion29 September 2024 Israeli attacks on YemenAttacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Syria, and JordanIranian airstrikes in Iraq and Syria