Israel-Hamas War: Israeli acts in Gaza violated international humanitarian law

• Israeli acts in Gaza violated international humanitarian law during Israel-Hamas War.
• The starvation of civilians is prohibited by international humanitarian law.
• Israeli bombing has resulted in at least 3,785 Palestinian deaths in the Gaza Strip.

UN experts condemned the “unspeakably cruel” Israeli acts as “crimes against humanity” after an Israeli airstrike on a hospital and school in Gaza resulted in the tragic loss of over 500 innocent lives on Thursday.

They expressed shock at the tragic attack at Al Ahli Arab Hospital, which is believed to have occurred in reaction to two threats from Israel indicating that an attack would occur if the hospital’s patients were not evacuated.

In response to an attack on October 7 by Hamas that claimed at least 1,400 lives, most of them civilians, Israeli soldiers have been firing ceaselessly into Gaza.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, since then, Israeli bombing has resulted in at least 3,785 Palestinian deaths in the Gaza Strip; most of the dead were civilians, including children.

When two heavily populated refugee camps and the school in the Al Maghazi refugee camp, which housed roughly 4,000 displaced persons, were struck on the same day, the UN experts declared that they were “equally outraged” and referred to the missile attack on the medical institution as a “atrocity.”

Concerning Israel’s 16-year siege of the enclave, its residents, and its continuous occupation—which has left 2.2 million people without access to essential necessities including food, gasoline, water, power, and medication—they raised serious legal and humanitarian concerns.

One million internally displaced people live in the Gaza Strip, and an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza require critical prenatal and postnatal care.

The UN experts emphasized to everyone that starvation of civilians is prohibited by international humanitarian law and has been consistently condemned as a tactic of warfare by the UN Security Council.

The experts warned, “The unlawful denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival are also a violation of international humanitarian law.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded more than 136 attacks on health care services in the occupied Palestinian territory, including 59 attacks on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the deaths of at least 16 health workers since October 7. The UN experts demanded the protection of all humanitarian workers.

In addition, four Palestine Red Crescent paramedics in an ambulance and fifteen employees of the United Nations Refugee Works Agency (UNRWA) have been murdered by Israeli bombardment in Gaza. Driving to treat injured persons, an ambulance driver from Magen David Adom in Israel lost his life.

The experts said, “The complete siege of Gaza coupled with unfeasible evacuation orders and forcible population transfers, is a violation of international humanitarian and criminal law. It is also unspeakably cruel.”

They recalled that it is expressly forbidden by international criminal law to intentionally and methodically destroy civilian dwellings and infrastructure—a practice known as “domicide”—as well as to cut off vital supplies of food, medicine, and drinking water.

They noted, “We are sounding the alarm: There is an ongoing campaign by Israel resulting in crimes against humanity in Gaza. Considering statements made by Israeli political leaders and their allies, accompanied by military action in Gaza and escalation of arrests and killing in the West Bank, there is also a risk of genocide against the Palestine people.” t

“There are no justifications or exceptions for such crimes. We are appalled by the inaction of the international community in the face of belligerent war-mongering.”

The experts said, “The Gazan population, half of whom are children, have already suffered many decades of unlawful brutal occupation and lived under the blockade for 16 years.”

They added, “It is time to immediately cease fire and ensure urgent and unimpeded access to essential humanitarian supplies, including food, water, shelter, medicine, fuel and electricity. The physical safety of the civilian population must be guaranteed.”

“The occupation needs to end and there must be reparation, restitution and reconstruction, towards full justice for Palestinians.”

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