UN Calls for Gaza War Crimes Probe

Rights official accuses Israel of ignoring international law

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 10, 2009 2:34 AM CST

(Newser) – The UN's top human rights official has called for an investigation into possible war crimes committed by the Israeli military in Gaza, the Guardian reports. She singled out an incident this week where up to 30 Palestinian civilians were killed in a home shelled by Israeli forces and the surviving children were found starving days after rescue workers were first denied access.

The incident "appears to have all the elements of war crimes," the UN official said, accusing the IDF of failing to meet its obligations under international law. "In this particular case these children were helpless and the soldiers were close by," she said. The Israeli military denies accusations that it told civilians to shelter in the building before it was shelled.

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (1)]

A Palestinian boy drags a piece of concrete salvaged from a home that was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

A Palestinian boy walks towards a donkey cart used by his family to transport belongings after their house was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

Palestinians stand on a road behind a burning tire barricade at a protest against Israel's military operations in a West Bank village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)

A mosque's minaret is seen though smoke caused by explosions from Israeli military operations in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

There is an international obligation on the part of soldiers in their position to protect civilians, not to kill civilians indiscriminately in the first place, and when they do to make sure that they help the wounded. - Navi Pillay, UN human rights chief

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

UN Begins Gaza War Crimes Probe

Israel alleges bias, but Jewish rapporteur draws wide praise

(NEWSER) - A UN team investigating possible war crimes by the Israeli army and Hamas has arrived in the Gaza Strip for a weeklong fact-finding mission. Israel is refusing to cooperate with what it calls a "masquerade," alleging that the UN Human Rights Council is unfairly biased. But the selection of Richard Goldstone, a South African Jew with experience in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, as head of the inquiry has given the commission greater legitimacy, reports the BBC. More»

Israel Finds No War Crimes in Gaza Attacks

Officials say civilian deaths isolated, unintentional

(NEWSER) - An Israel Defense Forces probe has found that no Gaza civilians were intentionally harmed in Israel’s recent incursion into the region, Haaretz reports. IDF colonels who weren’t involved in the fighting found that the IDF “adhered to international law and maintained a high level of professionalism and morality.” Civilian deaths, they determined, were isolated and unintentional. More»

UN Picks Judge to Probe Israeli 'War Crimes'

Jewish South African will investigate allegations of abuses

(AP) - The UN has named a Jewish judge from South Africa to lead a high-level mission to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, reports the AP. Richard Goldstone, the UN's former chief prosecutor for war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, will head the probe ordered by the Human Rights Council in January. More»

Israel Rebuffs UN, May Call in Reservists

Cabinet mulls new phase to offensive as bombs rain on Gaza

(NEWSER) - Israel pushed ahead with its military operation in Gaza today, despite a unanimous Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. On the 14th day of the offensive, warplanes bombed the outskirts of Gaza City and tanks shelled a house in the north of the Strip, killing six Palestinians from the same family. Israel may call in reservists for a new, third phase of the operation that would target Hamas guerrillas in urban areas. More»

UN: No Militants in Shelled School

Mortar may have been fired from nearby grove

(NEWSER) - The UN says it found no evidence to support claims there were militants inside the UN-run school Israeli forces fired on yesterday in Gaza, killing 40 civilians and injuring 55 more, Time reports. Israeli Defense Forces “returned fire,” a spokesman said, after militants fired mortars from inside the girls’ elementary school, in which some 400 people from the nearby refugee camp had taken shelter. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

UN Calls for Gaza War Crimes Probe