Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip meets the characteristics of genocide, with massive civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions deliberately imposed on the Palestinians, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israel said in a report released on Thursday in November.

“Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that deprive Palestinians of the basic necessities of life: food, water and fuel,” the committee said. “These statements, together with systematic and unlawful interference with the delivery of humanitarian aidmake clear Israel’s intention to use vital supplies for political and military gain.”

The report, covering the period from October 2023 to July 2024, examines events in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Occupied Syrian Golan, but focuses on the catastrophic impact of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip on Palestinian rights.

“Thanks to the blockade of Gaza obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as targeted attacks and killings of civilians and humanitarian workersDespite repeated calls by the United Nations, binding rulings of the International Court of Justice and Security Council resolutions, Israel is deliberately causing death, starvation and serious injury by using starvation as a method of warfare and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population.” stated the committee.

The report documents how Israel’s extensive bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip has damaged essential services and caused environmental disaster which will have long-term health consequences. By early 2024, more than 25,000 tons of explosives, the equivalent of two nuclear bombs, had been dropped on Gaza, causing widespread destruction and destruction of water and sewer systems, agricultural destruction, and toxic pollution.

“By destroying vital water, sanitation and food systems, and polluting the environment, Israel has created a deadly combination of crises that will cause severe harm to future generations,” the committee said.

The report raises serious concerns about Israel’s use of artificial intelligence-enhanced targeting systems to guide its military operations, and the impact this has had on civilians, particularly evident in the overwhelming number of women and children among the casualties.

“The Israeli military’s use of artificial intelligence guidance systems, with minimal human supervision, in combination with heavy bombs, highlights Israel’s disregard for its obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and to take appropriate security measures adequate to prevent civilian deaths,” the committee said.

The committee concluded that, amid the destruction in Gaza, Israel’s increased media censorship, suppression of dissent and attacks on journalists are deliberate attempts to block global access to information. He also noted that social media companies disproportionately remove “pro-Palestinian content” compared to posts calling for violence against Palestinians.

The Committee condemned the current smear campaign and other attacks on UNRWA and the UN All in all.

“This deliberate suppression of information, combined with disinformation and attacks on humanitarian workers, is a clear strategy aimed at undermining the vital work of the United Nations, cutting off the line of aid still reaching Gaza, and destroying the international legal order,” the committee said. .

The Committee called on all Member States to fulfill their legal obligations to prevent and end violations of international law by Israel and to hold the country accountable.

“It is the collective responsibility of all states to end their support for the attack on the Gaza Strip and the apartheid system in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the committee said.

“Compliance with international law and ensuring accountability for violations rests entirely with member states. Failure to do so weakens the very foundation of the international legal system and sets a dangerous precedent by allowing atrocities to go undetected.”

The committee’s report will be presented to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on November 18, 2024.*

Fountain: UN Special Committee Finds Israel’s Gaza Warfare Methods Amount to Genocide, Including Using Starvation as a Weapon of War.

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UN: Israel’s methods in… Sebastian Barragan