UN investigators accused Israel yesterday of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and demanded that Israeli security forces be referred to the International Criminal Court. While Israel rejected the findings of the investigation as "deceitful, biased and beaten from the theater of absurdity, Criminal »to investigate the crimes of the occupation against demonstrators in the Gaza Strip.
In a separate report, an investigation by a United Nations panel revealed that there was evidence that Israel committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in its response to the Gaza Strip demonstrations of 2018. Snipers targeted people who clearly showed they were children, medical workers and journalists.
The commission, set up by the UN Human Rights Council, has investigated possible abuses since the protests began on March 30 to December 31, 2018.
"Israeli soldiers have committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law," said Santiago Canton, president of the Independent International Committee of Inquiry into Protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Some of these violations constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, and Israel must investigate them immediately. "
The committee said that "military snipers fired at more than 6,000 defenseless protesters, week after week, at the sites of demonstrations."
"I found logical reasons to believe that Israeli snipers fired on journalists, health workers, children and people with disabilities," she said.
"Israeli security forces killed and caused permanent disabilities to Palestinian demonstrators who posed no imminent threat to death or serious injury to others when they were shot, nor were they directly involved in hostilities," the report said.
International investigators have confirmed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli soldiers killed and wounded Palestinians "who have not directly engaged in hostilities or pose an imminent threat."
The investigators also rejected Israel's assertions that the demonstrations were aimed at hiding hostile acts.
"Despite a number of specific acts of violence, the Commission found that the demonstrations did not constitute combat or military campaigns," the report said.
Investigators told reporters in Geneva that they had not been able to see the IDF's rules of engagement on the suppression of protests.
The commission said it conducted 325 interviews with victims, eyewitnesses and other sources and reviewed more than 8,000 documents.
Investigators were briefed on unmanned aircraft and other audiovisual materials, according to the commission.
"The Israeli authorities have not responded to repeated requests from the committee to provide information to them and to allow them to enter Israel and the Palestinian territories," the report said.
The report said the commission had confidential information about those believed to be responsible for the killings, including snipers and military commanders, and would submit them to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to refer them to the ICC.
In response to the report, acting Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that "Israel categorically rejects the report."
"No organization can deny Israel's right to self-defense and its duty to defend its citizens and its borders from violent attacks."
Katz described the report as a chapter of the "absurd theater" and said in a statement it was "biased."
In Ramallah, the Palestinian presidency called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to immediately investigate the "crimes" of Israel against Palestinian demonstrators in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the Palestinian presidency welcomed the report of the UN committee, saying it "confirms what we have always said that Israel is committing war crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem."
The presidency stressed that "the time has come to hold Israel accountable for these crimes and not to remain a state above the law."
More than 265 Palestinians have been killed during almost daily demonstrations on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip near the fence separating Israel from the return marches to demand the right of return of Palestinian refugees and the lifting of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since mid-2007.