Strong possibility of war crimes in Gaza
24 July 2014 6:23 AM IST
UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay, on Wednesday, said that around three-quarters of the 650 Palestinians and 31 Israelis killed in the conflict were civilians, and thousands more have been injured.
Pillay told the 47-nation UN human rights council that the situation in Gaza requires its urgent attention because of ‘a strong possibility that international humanitarian law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes’.
Pillay said that every allegation of human rights abuses ‘must be properly and independently investigated’.
Trapped by an escalation of fighting in Khan Younis, a town on the edge of the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinian families scrambled to flee the area.
John Kerry flew into Tel Aviv despite a Federal Aviation Administration ban following a Hamas rocket that hit near the airport the day before, reflecting his determination to achieve a cease-fire agreement between the warring sides.
Kerry was to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem and Ramallah in what appeared to be a crucial day in the flailing talks. US officials have downplayed expectations for an immediate, lasting truce between Israel and the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza.
Pillay told the 47-nation UN human rights council that the situation in Gaza requires its urgent attention because of ‘a strong possibility that international humanitarian law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes’.
Pillay said that every allegation of human rights abuses ‘must be properly and independently investigated’.
Trapped by an escalation of fighting in Khan Younis, a town on the edge of the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinian families scrambled to flee the area.
John Kerry flew into Tel Aviv despite a Federal Aviation Administration ban following a Hamas rocket that hit near the airport the day before, reflecting his determination to achieve a cease-fire agreement between the warring sides.
Kerry was to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem and Ramallah in what appeared to be a crucial day in the flailing talks. US officials have downplayed expectations for an immediate, lasting truce between Israel and the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza.
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