The U.N. human rights office expressed concern on Tuesday over the civilian casualties in Gaza resulting from the Israeli operation to rescue four captives. The operation, which included an air assault, occurred on Saturday in a residential area in central Gaza's Nuseirat neighborhood where Palestinians were holding the captives in two separate apartment buildings.
According to health officials in Gaza, the operation resulted in the deaths of over 270 Palestinians.
Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, raised doubts about whether the Israeli forces adhered to the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution outlined in the laws of war during the raid in such a densely populated area.
Laurence also criticized Palestinian armed groups for endangering the lives of civilians and captives by holding them in densely populated areas. He stated that the actions of both parties could potentially constitute war crimes.
In response, Israel's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva accused the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights of unfairly targeting Israel. The mission argued that the civilian casualties were a result of Palestinians deliberately putting civilians at risk.
The conflict in Gaza began when Palestinians attacked Israel on Oct. 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people according to Israeli reports. Israel's subsequent military actions in Gaza have led to the deaths of over 37,000 Palestinians, as reported by health authorities in the region.
Gunmen transported approximately 250 hostages back to Gaza on October 7th, with over 100 individuals being released in exchange for around 240 Palestinians who were detained in Israeli prisons during a week-long ceasefire in November.
Israeli records indicate that there are still 116 captives in the coastal enclave, with at least 40 individuals being declared deceased in absentia by Israeli authorities.
In the meantime, Palestinian officials reported that Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, while Israel's border police stated that they fired at a vehicle attempting to run them over during an arrest operation. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA mentioned that Israeli forces shot at a vehicle near a village close to Ramallah, with eight individuals sustaining injuries during subsequent clashes as Israeli forces entered the village. The violence in the West Bank, which was already increasing prior to the conflict in Gaza, has further intensified due to heightened Israeli military operations, settler violence, and Palestinian street assaults.
