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Bachelet said his office had verified the deaths of 270 Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including 68 children, during this month’s violence. Also read: Don’t get me wrong, this is the difference between Jews, Israel and Zionists
He said most of the deaths in Gaza, where Israel targeted the city for 11 days of attacks, ended in a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Hamas rockets have killed 10 people on the Israeli side.
Speaking at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council, Bachelet said the conflict erupted after Hamas demanded Israeli troops leave the al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem and then launch rockets at Israel.
“Rocket attacks indiscriminately constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law. Israel responded with intense air strikes on Gaza, including shelling, missiles and attacks from the sea, causing widespread damage to civilian infrastructure and death,” he said.
“Despite Israel’s claim that many of these buildings house armed groups or are used for military purposes, we have not seen any evidence in this regard,” he continued, as reported by Al Arabiya on Thursday (27/5/2021).
He said if he found the attack to be indiscriminate and disproportionate, then such an attack might constitute a war crime.
At the same time, Bachelet also urged Hamas not to fire rockets recklessly at Israel. Also read: Discuss Palestine-Israel on Deddy Podcast, Haris Azhar: Israel is wrong, Hamas is also wrong
(ian)
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