The Israeli war on Gaza has led to massive destruction and the death of more than 15,<> Palestinians in the Strip (French)
UN human rights experts on Monday called for independent investigations into "allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity" by all sides since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza and the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" on October 7.
A joint statement by Maurice Tiedbull Baines, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, and Alice Gilles Edwards, the special rapporteur on torture, stressed the need for "prompt, transparent and independent investigations" and accountability.
"Independent investigators must be given the necessary resources, support and access to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into crimes allegedly committed by all parties to the conflict," the statement said.
According to the experts, "the duty to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity, including any act of summary or extrajudicial killings, torture or other outrages upon human dignity, is a fundamental legal obligation."
The remarks came on the fourth day of the temporary humanitarian truce, during which dozens of prisoners were exchanged between Israel and Hamas, in addition to the entry of relief materials into the Gaza Strip, including fuel.
The independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and do not speak on behalf of the UN.
Assignment of responsibility
The statement urged the international community to ensure that all those responsible for the "most serious violations" – especially those with command responsibilities – are brought to justice as a matter of urgency.
He stressed that there was "no statute of limitations" for war crimes and crimes against humanity, which fall under so-called "universal jurisdiction".
This means that courts in any country in the world can prosecute those responsible, regardless of their nationality and the State in which the crimes were committed.
"We encourage all States to play a proactive role in identifying the main suspected perpetrators and to help facilitate prosecutions through the principle of mutual legal assistance," the experts said.
Several human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, the UN Human Rights Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese and others, have spoken of irrefutable evidence of war crimes committed by Israel in its war that violated international humanitarian law on the Gaza Strip.
The Government Media Office in Gaza announced that the toll of martyrs of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip rose on Monday to more than 15,6150, after dozens of bodies were recovered from under the rubble and roads, noting that among the martyrs are more than 4,<> children, and more than <>,<> women, since the seventh of last October.
Source: French