By David Gritten, BBC Information
AFPThe UN human rights workplace says it’s “profoundly shocked” on the impression on civilians of the Israeli operation in central Gaza that rescued 4 hostages held by Hamas.
Palestinian well being officers mentioned lots of of individuals have been killed and injured within the densely-populated Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday. Israel’s navy mentioned fewer than 100 have been killed.
UN spokesman Jeremy Laurence mentioned the motion by Israeli forces “severely calls into query whether or not the rules of distinction, proportionality and precaution… have been revered” and will quantity to struggle crimes.
He additionally mentioned Palestinian armed teams may face struggle crimes fees for persevering with to carry hostages in built-up areas and “placing the lives of Palestinian civilians, in addition to the hostages themselves, at added danger”.
Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva accused the UN human rights workplace of “slander”.
“The toll of this struggle on civilians is at first the product of Hamas’s deliberate technique to maximise civilian hurt,” an announcement mentioned.
“Those that proceed to defend Hamas terrorists, together with [the UN human rights office], are complicit within the struggling of Palestinians and Israelis alike.”
The Israeli navy has repeatedly mentioned it operates in accordance with worldwide legislation.
There was no fast remark by Hamas.
The 4 hostages freed on Saturday – Noa Argamani, Almog Meir, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv – have been held in two condo buildings about 200m (656ft) aside in Nuseirat – a historic, city refugee camp which has seen an inflow of displaced folks for the reason that begin of the struggle.
Based on the Israel Protection Forces (IDF), the Israeli commandos took Ms Argamani’s Hamas guards unexpectedly and rapidly killed them. However the simultaneous transfer to free Mr Ziv, Mr Kozlov and Mr Meir from the second constructing sparked a fierce gun battle with their guards, throughout which a senior Israeli police officer was fatally wounded.
Because the commandos evacuated to the coast, they got here underneath hearth from fighters armed with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the IDF mentioned. In response, Israeli plane, artillery and naval vessels carried out intense strikes on the realm.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 others were injured during the operation. Its figures don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The Hamas-run Authorities Media Workplace reported that 64 youngsters, 57 ladies and 37 aged folks have been among the many lifeless.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said its groups, together with medical workers at al-Aqsa hospital within the close by city of Deir al-Balah and Nasser hospital within the southern metropolis of Khan Younis, handled lots of of severely injured sufferers, a lot of whom have been ladies and youngsters.
The charity additionally quoted certainly one of its Palestinian medical doctors, Dr Hazem Maloh, as saying that dozens of males, ladies and youngsters have been killed, together with his neighbours, mates or family.
The director of al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat instructed BBC Arabic’s Gaza In the present day programme that 142 lifeless and 250 injured folks have been delivered to the hospital on Saturday, and that nearly 1 / 4 of the fatalities have been ladies and youngsters.
A senior official from the UN company for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), in the meantime, mentioned its well being centre in Nuseirat handled greater than 125 injured folks.
The IDF’s chief spokesman mentioned it was conscious of “underneath 100” Palestinian casualties and that it didn’t know what number of of them have been “terrorists”.
ReutersA number of Nuseirat residents interviewed for BBC Arabic’s Gaza In the present day programme mentioned they have been reluctant to go away the camp within the wake of the operation as a result of nowhere else in Gaza was protected.
“They hit the home reverse us with missiles. I believed my household and I might certainly die. One other missile additionally hit the door of our home. And naturally there was widespread destruction,” Khalil al-Tahran mentioned.
“However the place ought to we flee to?”
One other man, Salem Wali al-Dasht, mentioned: “Loss of life right here is not going to be totally different from loss of life [somewhere else]… that’s the reason we determined to stay the place we’re.”
An Israeli physician who handled the hostages following their rescue mentioned they’d suffered a “harsh expertise, with lots of abuse, virtually each day”.
“Each hour, each bodily, psychological and different varieties, and that’s one thing that’s past comprehension,” Dr Itai Pessach of the Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan told CNN.
He additionally mentioned their time in captivity had “left a major mark on their well being”.
This was as a consequence of a “mixture of the psychological stress, malnutrition… medical neglect, being restricted [in] house, not seeing the solar”, he defined.
UN spokesman Mr Laurence famous that the UN human rights workplace’s capacity to confirm studies of casualties in the course of the hostage rescue operation was restricted due to entry constraints, however that it nonetheless had “dependable” contacts on the bottom.
He additionally mentioned that UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk welcomed the UN Security Council resolution endorsing a proposed ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which was outlined by the US final month.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned Israel’s prime minister had “reaffirmed his dedication” to the plan at a gathering on Monday.
Hamas has but to just accept it, however Mr Blinken mentioned an announcement from the group welcoming the UN decision was a “hopeful signal”.
The Israeli navy launched a marketing campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border assault on southern Israel on 7 October, throughout which about 1,200 folks have been killed and 251 others have been taken hostage.
Greater than 37,120 folks have been killed in Gaza since then, based on the Hamas-run well being ministry.
A deal agreed in November noticed Hamas launch 105 of the hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire and a few 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel says 116 hostages are nonetheless being held, 41 of whom are presumed lifeless.
