UN Report Condemns Israel ... The Authority welcomes Hamas and demands accountability

GAZA (Reuters) - The Palestinian presidency on Thursday welcomed the UN investigators' report, which cited evidence of Israel's possible crimes against humanity or war crimes in its response to the Gaza Strip protests in 2018, while Hamas demanded accountability of the occupation authorities.

"The Palestinian Authority welcomes the report of UN investigators on Israel's war crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip," the statement said, calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to act immediately to open an investigation into the crimes committed.

An inquiry by a UN panel revealed on Thursday that there was evidence that Israel had committed "crimes against humanity" in its response to the Gaza Strip demonstrations of 2018.

Protests and investigation
"Israeli soldiers have committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, some of them are war crimes or crimes against humanity and Israel must investigate them immediately," said Santiago Canton, head of the International Independent Investigation Commission in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Military snipers fired at more than 6,000 defenseless demonstrators week after week at the demonstration sites," the committee said. "I found logical reasons to believe that Israeli snipers fired on journalists, health workers, children and people with disabilities," she said.

At least 251 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire since March 2018, most of them during weekly protests on the border with Israel, while several were killed by tank fire and air strikes on Gaza.

Welcome and invite
"Hamas welcomes the results of the UN investigation and calls on the international community to hold the Israeli occupation responsible for these crimes and to hold them accountable," said Bassem Naim, a Hamas leader. "The report confirms that the occupation committed clear war crimes against peaceful demonstrators."

Naim added that "despite all the obstacles that the occupation to stop the work of the Committee, but the United Nations was able to communicate with all citizens and officials concerned and came out with an important report, and call for the adoption of recommendations in the report and complete the proceedings against the criminals of the occupation."

In the same context, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said: "International bodies are facing a real test to punish the occupation, which requires a practical translation of the recommendations of the UN report."

Israeli rejection
On the other hand, Israel rejected the results of the investigation, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel "categorically rejects the report."

The report, published by a commission of inquiry by the United Nations Human Rights Council, said Israeli soldiers had committed crimes against humanity.

Netanyahu wrote on Twitter: "The Council records new record examples of hypocrisy and lies based on hatred that reaches the point of coercion of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East."

"Hamas is firing rockets and bombs at Israeli civilians and launching terrorist attacks during violent demonstrations on the fence," he said.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz described the report earlier today as "hostile, deceptive and biased." "No organization can deny Israel's right to self-defense and its duty to defend its citizens and its borders from violent attacks," he said.