Israel’s warfare in Gaza is “consistent with the characteristics of genocide,” with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians there, the UN Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices said in a new report released Nov. 14. “Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life—food, water, and fuel,” the Committee said. “These statements along with the systematic and unlawful interference of humanitarian aid make clear Israel’s intent to instrumentalise life-saving supplies for political and military gains.”
Covering the period from October 2023 to July 2024, the report examines developments across the occupied Palestinian territory, and the occupied Syrian Golan, but focuses on the catastrophic impact of the current war in Gaza on the rights of Palestinians.
“Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population,” the Committee said.
The report documents how Israel’s extensive bombing campaign in Gaza has decimated essential services and unleashed an environmental catastrophe that will have lasting health impacts. By early 2024, over 25,000 tons of explosives—equivalent to two nuclear bombs—had been dropped on Gaza, causing massive destruction and the collapse of water and sanitation systems, agricultural devastation, and toxic pollution.
“By destroying vital water, sanitation and food systems, and contaminating the environment, Israel has created a lethal mix of crises that will inflict severe harm on generations to come,” the Committee said.
The report raises serious concerns about Israel’s use of AI-enhanced targeting systems in directing its military operations, and the impact it has had on civilians, particularly evident in the overwhelming number of women and children among the casualties. “The Israeli military’s use of AI-assisted targeting, with minimal human oversight, combined with heavy bombs, underscores Israel’s disregard of its obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and take adequate safeguards to prevent civilian deaths,” the Committee said.
Amid the devastation in Gaza, Israel’s escalating media censorship, suppression of dissent, and targeting of journalists are deliberate efforts to block global access to information, the Committee found. It also noted how social media companies disproportionately removed “pro-Palestinian content” in comparison with posts inciting violence against Palestinians.
The Committee condemned the ongoing smear campaign and other attacks against UNRWA and the UN at large. “This deliberate silencing of reporting, combined with disinformation and attacks on humanitarian workers, is a clear strategy to undermine the vital work of the UN, sever the lifeline of aid still reaching Gaza, and dismantle the international legal order,” the Committee said.
The Committee called on all member states to uphold their legal obligations to prevent and stop Israel’s violations of international law and hold it accountable. “It is the collective responsibility of every State to stop supporting the assault on Gaza and the apartheid system in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the Committee said. “Upholding international law and ensuring accountability for violations rests squarely on Member States. A failure to do so weakens the very core of the international legal system and sets a dangerous precedent, allowing atrocities to go unchecked.”
The Committee’s report will be presented to the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly on Nov. 18. (OHCHR)
See our last reports on accusations of genocide and apartheid against Israel, AI-enhanced targeting, and attacks on UNRWA.
Photo: WAFA via WikimediaCommons
UN warns: ‘deteriorating survival conditions’ in North Gaza
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned Nov. 19 that Israeli restrictions on aid are deteriorating “conditions for survival” in North Gaza. (Jurist) Three days before the report was released, a convoy of 109 UN aid trucks carrying food was violently looted by Israeil militants as it attempted to pass into Gaza. Ninety-seven of the lorries were lost and their drivers were forced at gunpoint to unload their aid after passing through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing with southern Gaza. (BBC News)
Amid ongoing attacks on aid shipments and blockades of convoys, Israel has passed a law barring the operations of UNRWA in territory it controls.
The US vetoed a UN resolution on Nov. 20 demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. The other 14 members of the UN Security Council voted in favor of the resolution. The resolution, the most recent of many Gaza ceasefire resolutions to reach the Security Council, called for “an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” and “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” However, the US stated its opposition to the demand for an “unconditional ceasefire” which “failed to release the hostages.”
Other member states expressed their dismay with the resolution’s failure. China’s representative remarked that “insistence on setting a precondition to ceasefire is tantamount to giving a green light to continuing war.” Palestine’s observer shared similar frustration, asserting that “this veto is a dangerous message to Israel that it can continue executing its plans.” This is the fourth ceasefire resolution the US has vetoed at the Security Council since Oct. 7 last year. A US-backed resolution endorsing the implementation of a three-phase ceasefire plan passed in June, but little has changed in the conflict since then. (Jurist)
Amid growing demands for an arms embargo on Israel, Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced last month that his office will take legal and diplomatic measures against the banning of Israeli companies from a major defense exhibition in Paris by Emmanuel Macron. (Jurist)
UNGA resolutions demand Gaza ceasefire, support UNRWA
The UN General Assembly on Dec. 11 adopted two resolutions during its resumed 10th emergency special session, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and expressing support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The first resolution urged an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as the release of all hostages. The General Assembly adopted Resolution A/ES-10/L.33with 158 nations in favor. Nine nations voted against the resolution, including Israel, Argentina, Hungary, Czechia and the United States. Thirteen nations abstained from the vote. The resolution requires all states involved in the conflict to fulfill their obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians. The resolution also required the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2735, which called for Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, the release of hostages, the return of Palestinians to their homes in Gaza, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.
The second resolution expressed support for the UNRWA and the need for accountability. Resolution A/ES-10/L.32 reaffirmed the UN’s support for UNRWA in light of legislation adopted by the Israeli Knesset on October 28 that seeks to halt UNRWA operations in areas under Israeli administration. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that this legislation “would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Guterres added: “The implementation of the laws could have devastating consequences for Palestine refugees.”
With the adoption of this resolution, the General Assembly demanded that Israel “respect the privileges and immunities of the Agency and uphold its responsibility to allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance.” (Jurist)