Israel must face consequences over Gaza war, say UN experts

United Nations rights experts Monday said Israel must face the consequences of "inflicting maximum suffering" on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, pointing out that Israel was defying international law and being sheltered by its allies.

"International humanitarian law comprises a set of universal and binding rules to protect civilian objects and persons who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities and limits permissible means and methods of warfare," the 11 experts said in a joint statement.

"Rather than abide by these rules, Israel has openly defied international law time and again, inflicting maximum suffering on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond.

"Israel continues to face no real consequences, largely due to protection offered by its allies."

Israel's military campaign has killed more than 45,500 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

The experts highlighted alleged crimes against humanity committed by Israel "including murder, torture, sexual violence, and repeated forced displacement amounting to forcible transfer".

They also noted alleged war crimes including "indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects... the use of starvation as a weapon of war" and "collective punishment".

They said civilians were protected persons and did not constitute military objectives under international law.

"Acts aimed at their destruction in whole or in part are genocidal," they added.

The experts called for urgent, independent and thorough investigations into alleged serious violations of international law.

"Israel's continued impunity sends a dangerous message... Israel and its leaders must be held accountable," they said.

The experts said they were particularly alarmed by Israel's operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

Since October 6 this year, Israeli operations in Gaza have focused on the north, with officials saying their land and air offensive aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

"This siege, coupled with expanding evacuation orders, appears intended to permanently displace the local population as a precursor to Gaza's annexation," the experts said.

UN rights experts are independent figures mandated by the Human Rights Council.

The 11 experts included the special rapporteurs on internally displaced persons; cultural rights; education; physical and mental health; arbitrary executions; the right to food; and protecting rights while countering terrorism.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has called on the United Nations (UN) to send an international mission to investigate the serious crimes and violations to which Palestinian prisoners and detainees are subjected in Israeli prisons and detention centers.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday the health care system in northern Gaza had been "obliterated" by Israel, with hospitals rendered "completely inoperable".

"Repeated hostilities in and around hospitals have obliterated the health care system in northern Gaza, putting civilians at an unacceptably grave risk of going without lifesaving care," the ICRC said in a statement.

It called for the respect and protection of medical facilities in line with international humanitarian law.

"This protection is a legal obligation and a moral imperative to preserve human life," it added, saying hospitals were a lifeline for those sick or wounded in conflict.

Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 45,541 Palestinians and wounded 108,338 since Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said Monday.