UN experts call for action on 1st anniversary of Israel-Hamas war

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – UN experts called Monday for prompt action to end the cycle of violence and for accountability on the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.

“The past year has seen a devastating escalation in human suffering, with severe consequences for the Palestinian people, Israelis and the entire Middle East region,” they said in a statement.

“The serious violations of international law such as murder, the intentional targeting of civilian objects, disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks, starvation, forcible transfer, arbitrary displacement, sexual violence, persecution and outrages against life and dignity, including disrespect for the dead, committed by Israeli forces since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023 constitute war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity,” they added.

Drawing attention to the historical and political background of Oct. 7, the experts said that “obscured by false narratives and years of discrimination, racial segregation and/or apartheid perpetrated against the Palestinian people, as recognized by the International Court of Justice on 19 July 2024, this war risks leading to the erasure of the Palestinian presence in the occupied Palestinian territory and an endless reality of insecurity and enormous suffering for the Palestinian and Israeli people alike.”

They also urged the international community to ensure an end to transfers of arms by states and companies to Israel “to avoid responsibility in war crimes and crimes against humanity by complicity.”

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 42,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 97,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.