Israel and Hamas were both accused of committing war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, according to a UN inquiry. Additionally, Israel’s actions were deemed to constitute crimes against humanity due to the substantial civilian casualties.
The UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) published two separate reports: one focusing on the October 7 Hamas attacks and another on Israel’s military response. This commission has a broad mandate to gather evidence and identify perpetrators of international crimes in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel refrains from cooperating with the commission, citing its perceived anti-Israel bias. The COI reported that Israel obstructed its efforts and hindered investigators from accessing both Israel and the West Bank.
Israel’s diplomatic mission to the UN in Geneva dismissed the findings, with Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, stating, “The COI has once again demonstrated its actions are driven by a politically motivated agenda against Israel.”
The report, covering the conflict until the end of December, concluded that both sides committed war crimes such as torture, murder, outrages upon personal dignity, and inhuman treatment. Israel was accused of further war crimes, including using starvation as a method of warfare, by failing to provide essential supplies to Gazans and obstructing others from doing so.