UN rights chief warns Israel's Gaza strikes could be war crimes
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for Israel to allow for independent investigations into its latest escalation with Hamas.
The United Nations’ rights chief warned on Thursday that Israel’s bombing campaign against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip may amount to war crimes.
Speaking during a special session of the UN Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for Israel to allow “impartial, independent investigations into actions taken during this escalation.”
Bachelet said Israel's airstrikes in the Gaza Strip raised “serious concerns” that Israel was not in compliance with international humanitarian law’s principles of proportionality.
"If found to be indiscriminate and disproportionate in their impact on civilians and civilian objects, such attacks may constitute war crimes," Bachelet said, also noting precautions taken by Israel, such as advance warning of some attacks.
