Israel, Hamas committed atrocities in Gaza, says UN, Pg18

Key Highlights:

• A UN report released on Thursday stated that Israeli forces, Hamas, and other Palestinian armed groups committed serious violations of international humanitarian law and atrocity crimes in Gaza.
• The report investigated events in Gaza from November 2024 to October 31, 2025.
• Intensified Israeli attacks and the forcible transfer of Palestinians appeared aimed at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza, raising concerns over ethnic cleansing.
• The holding and mistreatment of hostages by Hamas may amount to war crimes, according to the report.
• The report also stated that militarised distribution centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation failed to deliver humanitarian aid at the scale required.

Detailed Insights:

• Israel's actions have imposed conditions of life increasingly incompatible with Palestinians’ continued existence as a group in Gaza.
• Israeli practices in Gaza and the occupied West Bank indicate an accelerating effort to consolidate the annexation of large parts of occupied Palestinian territory.
• The killing of 12 Palestinian staff associated with the GHF last June, including possible summary executions, may amount to war crimes by Hamas.
• The report raised concerns about the use of civilians as human shields to prevent Israeli attacks, and outlined unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
• The holding of and mistreatment of hostages taken in the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 may amount to war crimes, citing allegations of torture, beating and deprivation of food.

Key Concepts Involved:

• International Humanitarian Law: A set of rules which seek to limit the effects of armed conflict for humanitarian reasons.
• War Crimes: Serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict.
• Ethnic Cleansing: The systematic forced removal of ethnic or religious groups from a given territory.