‘Israel may have violated laws of war in Gaza campaign’

GENEVA: Israeli forces may have repeatedly violated the laws of war and failed to distinguish between civilians and fighters in the Gaza conflict, the U.N. human rights office said on Wednesday, as per Reuters reports.

Separately, the head of a U.N. inquiry accused the Israeli military of carrying out the “extermination” of Palestinians.

In a report on six Israeli attacks that caused many casualties and destroyed civilian infrastructure,

the U.N. human rights office (OHCHR) said Israeli forces “may have

systematically violated the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack”.

“The requirement to select means and methods of warfare that avoid or at the very least minimise to every extent civilian harm appears

to have been consistently violated in Israel’s bombing campaign,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.

Israel’s permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva characterised the analysis as “factually, legally, and methodologically flawed”.

“Since the OHCHR has, at best, a partial factual picture, any attempt to reach legal conclusions is inherently flawed,” the Israeli diplomatic mission said.