Israel-Hamas war: UN rights experts call for war crimes probe
United Nations (UN) rights experts Morris Tidball-Binz and Alice Jill Edwards on Monday called for independent investigations into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories since October 7. Tidball-Binz is the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions while Edwards is the special rapporteur on torture. They emphasized the importance of "transparent and independent investigations" and holding those responsible accountable. Notably, this came amid the four-day break in fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Why does this story matter?
Israel and Hamas entered a four-day truce on Friday. Since then, the Palestinian terror group has released 58 out of the nearly 240 hostages captured from Israel last month. In the latest development, Hamas said it was interested in extending the ceasefire with Israel if the latter released more Palestinian detainees, per Reuters. Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Israeli troops in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Sunday, reasserting that the war was far from over.
Independent investigators must be given necessary resources
In a joint statement, Tidball-Binz and Edwards highlighted the need for independent investigators to have the necessary resources, support, and access to conduct investigations into alleged crimes committed by all parties involved in the conflict. The duo further emphasized that probing war crimes such as extrajudicial killing or torture was a fundamental legal obligation. Hamas killed at least 1,200 civilians in its October 7 attack on Israel, while the latter's retaliatory strikes have reportedly killed over 15,000 people in Gaza.
No statute of limitation for war crimes
Tidball-Binz and Edwards further urged the international community to ensure that all those responsible for grave rights violations, particularly those with "command responsibility," be "promptly brought to justice." They pointed out that the statute of limitation doesn't apply to war crimes and crimes against humanity that come under universal jurisdiction. Therefore, courts in any country can prosecute those involved, regardless of their nationality or where such crimes took place.
UN rights official call for war crimes investigation
Top Hamas commanders eliminated; other updates
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it killed five senior Hamas commanders in Gaza before the operational pause. Between Friday and Sunday, Hamas released 58 hostages as part of the truce, while Israel reportedly freed 117 Palestinian detainees. Moreover, United States (US) President Joe Biden expressed hope that the pause in fighting would continue as long as Hamas released hostages. He also said a "two-state solution" to the Israel-Palestine crisis was the only means to ensure the long-term security.
