For Bachelet, Israel’s attacks on Gaza could …

The UN Human Rights Council has warned that recent Israeli missile attacks in the Gaza Strip, which has caused at least 242 deaths and 74,000 displaced people could constitute “War crimes”.

This was stated by the head of this body, Michelle bachelet, who pointed out that these attacks “They cast doubt on Israel’s respect for the principles of distinction and proportionality of international humanitarian law”.

If these events turn out to be indiscriminate and disproportionate, “they could constitute war crimes.”The High Commissioner pointed out during an extraordinary session of this body, which discussed the recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The events Bachelet referred to were the responses of the IDF to the attacks launched by Hamas. and other Palestinian armed groups against Israeli territory, which have left at least 10 dead. Precisely, the answer to this was a series of large-scale missiles that destroyed homes, offices of humanitarian organizations, medical centers and the media.

“Although Israel defends (argues) that many of these buildings housed armed groups or were used for military purposes, we have not seen any evidence in this regard,” said the former Chilean president.

The high commissioner also clarified that the Hamas attacks are also “a violation of international law” to “locate military resources in densely populated civilian areas or attack from them”. However, he clarified that “the actions of one of the parties do not exempt the other from its obligations”.

Bachelet also compared the situation of civilians in Israel and Palestine. He said that while Israeli citizens “have the Iron Dome and professional military forces to defend them,” Palestinians “have no protection against airstrikes against one of the most densely populated areas in the world”.

In addition, “They have nowhere to escape due to the land, sea and air blockade put in place over the past 14 years” by Tel Avivadded.

As, UN rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territory, Michael Lynk, added that Palestinians in Gaza “live in desperate circumstances that the United Nations has called unbearable and unlivable, a form of collective punishment. >>

He also denounced that the expulsions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, one of the triggers of the recent conflict, is part of the Israeli plan to increase illegal settlements in order to establish an illegal claim to sovereignty, despite repeated calls from the UN to end this practice.

Lynk reiterated his request, made recently with other UN human rights officials: that recent incidents in Gaza and the West Bank be investigated by the International Criminal Court.

Bachelet welcomed the ceasefire concluded between Palestinians and Israelis on May 21, while stressing that “Until the fundamental issues of this violence are addressed, it will only be a matter of time before a new wave of clashes begins.”.

“There must be a genuine and inclusive peace process to tackle these problems at their roots and end the occupation, ”he concluded.