UN says Israeli killings in Gaza may constitute ‘war crimes’
Tehran (KNA) - A commission of UN Human Rights Council issued its report on Israeli crackdown in Gaza Strip, noting that regime’s forces may have perpetrated “war crimes” or “crimes against humanity” in the campaign against Palestinians.
"The Commission has reasonable grounds to believe that during the Great March of Return, Israeli soldiers committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Some of those violations may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, and must be immediately investigated by Israel," said the Chair of the Commission, Santiago Canton of Argentina.
Tensions erupted in Gaza in March 30, 2018, which marked the start of a series of protests, dubbed "The Great March of Return," demanding the right to return for those driven out of their homeland.
The violence left 189 Palestinians dead and more than 6,100 others injured between March 30 and December 31, 2018.
According to the report, more than 6,000 unarmed demonstrators were shot by military snipers, week after week at the protest sites by the separation fence.
The Commission found that Israeli Security Forces killed 183 of these protesters with live ammunition. Thirty-five of these fatalities were children, while three were clearly marked paramedics, and two were clearly marked journalists.
Source: Mehr