UN human rights experts on Monday called for independent investigations by all parties into “allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity” since Hamas’ October 7 attack in Israel.
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In a statement, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Morris Tidball-Binz and Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Jill Edwards stressed the need for these investigations to be “swift, transparent and independent.”
These experts are commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council but do not speak on behalf of the organization.
“Independent investigators must be given the resources, support and access they need to conduct rapid, thorough and impartial investigations into crimes allegedly committed by all parties to the conflict,” Mr. Tidball-Binz and Ms. Jill Edwards urged in the press release.
“The duty to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity (…) is a fundamental legal obligation,” they added on the last day of the Gaza ceasefire ahead of a possible extension.
The Gaza Strip is under siege and devastation from seven weeks of Israeli bombing in retaliation for the Palestinian Islamist movement’s bloody attack against Israel on October 7, which Israeli authorities said killed 1,200 people, the vast majority civilians.
The Israeli military estimated the total number of hostages taken by Hamas during the attack at 240. Since Friday, around forty have been released in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
In retaliation for the October 7 attack, Israel promised to “eliminate” Hamas. According to the Hamas government, 14,854 people, including 6,150 under the age of 18, were killed by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
The two UN rapporteurs call on the international community to ensure that all those responsible for the most serious human rights violations – especially those in leadership positions – are “brought to justice expeditiously.”
They also declare that war crimes and crimes against humanity are beyond the statute of limitations and fall under universal jurisdiction.
“We encourage all States to play a proactive role in identifying the main suspected perpetrators and to help facilitate prosecution through the principle of mutual legal assistance,” they point out.