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On Thursday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay slammed what she referred to as Israel’s “deliberate defiance” of international law during its current aggression in Gaza. Pillay also lambasted Israel’s attacks on hospitals, schools, homes and UN facilities sheltering over 250,000 civilians in Gaza.
“There appears to be deliberate defiance of obligations that international law imposes on Israel. The same pattern of attacks is occurring now on homes, schools, hospitals, U.N. premises. None of this appears to me to be accidental”, she said.
She also said that multiple calls to respect the laws of war were ignored in both the latest conflict and previous Palestinian-Israeli conflicts.
Pillay’s comments come a day after Israeli tank fire brought down an UN-run school in Jabalia refugee camp. The school was sheltering around 3,300 displaced civilians in Gaza. Sixteen people were killed in the strike.
Israel has accused of Hamas and militant groups hiding among civilians and using UN facilities to store arms and launch rocket strikes. Pillay said that civilian facilities shouldn’t be attacked as per international law, but can use protected statues if they are used for military purposes. She added that even if such a scenario takes place, a warning must be given out before any attack so that civilians can be evacuated.
“It is completely unconscionable that the proportionality and precaution that international law requires is being ignored”, she said.
She also criticized the Israeli strikes on a power plant in Gaza, as well as sewerage and water systems.
The UN Human Rights Council had last week voted to open a probe into the aggression in Gaza despite opposition from the United States and Israel.
“We cannot allow impunity. We cannot allow this lack of accountability to go on.I join the world in condemning the aggression that is taking place in Gaza, and particularly the killing of civilians. This is wrong and it will always be wrong”, Pillay said on Thursday.
