The United Nations expressed deep concern on Tuesday (June 11) over the civilian casualties resulting from Israel’s operation to rescue four hostages in Gaza and condemned the continued captivity of individuals by Palestinian armed groups.
The UN’s rights office (OHCHR) indicated that actions by both Israelis and Palestinians “may amount to war crimes.” Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence emphasized the UN’s shock at the impact on civilians during the Israeli forces’ operation in An Nuseirat over the weekend.
“We are profoundly shocked at the impact on civilians of the Israeli forces’ operation in An Nuseirat at the weekend to secure the release of four hostages,” Laurence stated in Geneva. He also expressed distress over Palestinian armed groups holding many hostages, predominantly civilians.
The Israeli forces stormed the Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday to rescue Almog Meir Jan, Noa Argamani, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, who were kidnapped from the Nova festival in southern Israel on October 7. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 were wounded during the operation.
Laurence highlighted that “hundreds of Palestinians, many of them civilians, were reportedly killed and injured,” questioning whether Israeli forces adhered to the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution under the laws of war.
Regarding the figures provided by the Gaza health ministry, Laurence mentioned that the UN had previously found them to be nearly 100-percent accurate before October 7. Despite limited access to verify numbers since the war started, the UN still relies on reliable contacts on the ground.
Laurence condemned the holding of hostages in Gaza as a violation of international law and criticized the practice of holding hostages in densely populated areas, which endangers both civilians and hostages. He also stated that using hostages as human shields is a serious breach.
In response, Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva accused the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, of slandering Israel for rescuing hostages while acknowledging Hamas’s use of human shields. The mission asserted that those shielding Hamas terrorists, including Turk’s office, are complicit in the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis.
The conflict began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,194 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally. Hamas also seized 251 hostages, more than 100 of whom were released during a November truce. Israel’s subsequent bombing and ground offensive in Gaza have resulted in at least 37,164 deaths, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health minister.
