By Palestine Chronicle Staff 
The report focuses on the catastrophic impact of the war in Gaza on the rights of Palestinians.
Israel’s warfare in the besieged Gaza Strip is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli practices has said in a new report released on Thursday.
“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 in a press statement.
“These statements along with the systematic and unlawful interference of humanitarian aid make clear Israel’s intent to instrumentalize life-saving supplies for political and military gains,” it added.
Israel’s military actions consistent with the characteristics of genocide, according to a report from UN Special Commitee
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 14, 2024
Israel’s military actions consistent with the characteristics of genocide, according to a report from UN Special CommiteeThe report covers the period from October 2023 to July 2024 and examines developments across occupied Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. It however focuses on the catastrophic impact of the 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.
Tonnes of Bombs Dropped
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, the statement said.
‘Surpassing World War II’ Figures – Israel Dropped Over 85,000 Tonnes of Bombs on Gaza
It found that 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.
AI Targeting Systems
The report also 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 statement said.
Have you heard of booby-trapped robots?
Israel is now remotely bombing civilians in northern Gaza, blowing up 6-7 buildings at a time to kill residents and drive survivors from the area pic.twitter.com/SGKAeVJosF— Euro-Med Monitor (@EuroMedHR) November 6, 2024
“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.
Media Suppression
The report also highlighted Israel’s escalating media censorship, suppression of dissent, and targeting of journalists are deliberate efforts to block global access to information.
Gaza Genocide: The Ultimate Zionist Weapon to Silence Journalists is Murder
It also noted how social media companies disproportionately removed “pro-Palestinian content” in comparison with posts inciting violence against Palestinians.
Attacks on UNRWA
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.
“If UNRWA cannot operate, who will bring back hundreds of thousands of children in #Gaza from rubble to learning environments? Who will deliver the healthcare relied upon by 80% of the population?” – @UNLazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General.
For #PalestineRefugees, UNRWA is more… pic.twitter.com/JkeFvuslvD
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 14, 2024
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.
“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,” it said.
The report will be presented to the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly on 18 November 2024.
Over 43,000 Killed
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 43,736 Palestinians have been killed, and 103,370 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023. pic.twitter.com/Gj2dAyYfIY
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 14, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,736 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 103,370 wounded.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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