Jewish State Committing ‘War Crimes’ Through ‘Collective Punishment’: UN experts

Agencies

United Nations: There is no justification for violence that indiscriminately targets innocent civilians, whether by Hamas or Israeli forces. This is absolutely prohibited under international law and amounts to a war crime, said experts.

United Nations human rights experts on Thursday denounced attacks on civilians in Gaza and in Israel in the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating that the Jewish state is now committing “war crimes” through “collective punishment” by blocking aid to the Gaza enclave.

Experts mentioned that the war has killed at least 2,500 people on both sides.

HR experts warned of a severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave and of the “inescapable risk of starvation” faced by its population, adding that “intentional starvation is a crime against humanity”.

UN humanitarian agencies warned on Thursday that the sealed-off Gaza is on the brink of running out of food, water, electricity and critical supplies. More than 650,000 people in Gaza are running out of water.

No aid can come in from the outside for the 2.3 million residents of the besieged enclave. The Red Cross warned Thursday that those hospitals could soon turn into “morgues” without immediate aid.

Moreover, some 220,000 displaced people are sheltering in schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) delivered fresh bread from bakeries still able to operate and food to over 175,000 displaced people across 88 shelters on Wednesday, with plans to reach over 800,000 people across Palestine, informed UN-based agency.

The agency stressed that its food assistance stocks are running out and called for urgent aid access.

Meanwhile, Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said on X, “Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened, and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home. Humanitarian for humanitarian. And no one will preach us morals.”

Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues. As Gaza loses power, hospitals lose power, putting newborns in incubators and elderly patients on oxygen at risk, said International Committee of the Red Cross Regional Director Fabrizio Carboni.

The Israeli military has committed to completely eliminating Hamas through a campaign of extensive airstrikes and an expected ground invasion.

It is also difficult for Gazans to leave the territory because the only border with Egypt was closed again on Thursday due to Israeli airstrikes in the area. The crossing was previously closed on Monday due to strikes.

The Egyptian government has also urged Israel to stop the strikes so aid can enter Gaza.

The UN group called on both sides of the conflict to immediately negotiate a ceasefire, in addition to corridors for humanitarian aid and a release of the captured on both sides of the conflict.