A United Nations investigation into the early months of the war in Gaza found that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and serious violations of international law, in the body's first in-depth investigation into the October 7 attacks and the conflict. later.
The damning reports released on Wednesday, covering events through the end of 2023, paint an alarming picture of both sides systematically ignoring international law in a devastating conflict that has raged for more than eight months, bitterly dividing world opinion and raising tensions. Worldwide. The middle east.
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry reports begin on October 7, the day Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched a wave of killings and kidnappings in southern Israel that killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw some 250 people taken hostage.
War crimes cited by the commission that day included attacks intentionally directed against civilians, murder or intentional manslaughter, torture, inhuman or cruel treatment, outrages on personal dignity, and the taking of hostages, including children.
The massacres that day led Israel to declare war on Hamas and launch an assault on Gaza that destroyed much of the densely populated enclave and killed more than 37,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Both Israel and Hamas committed sexual violence and torture, and intentionally targeted civilians, according to the reports, which span more than 200 pages.
