UN says impeding access to humanitarian aid in Gaza may constitute war crimes News
Image by hosny salah from Pixabay
UN says impeding access to humanitarian aid in Gaza may constitute war crimes

The UN issued a statement on Tuesday expressing strong condemnation of attacks against civilians attempting to access humanitarian aid, following reported reports of deaths around aid distribution sites in Gaza under Israeli military control.

The reported attacks, which have taken place for three consecutive days, occurred around sites established by Israeli forces for the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). According to the UN, it is reported that “dozens more people were killed and injured.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that civilians reportedly fear “being shot” when trying to access the aid at GHF. In a statement, he said:

Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza, are unconscionable… Palestinians have been presented the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman BG Effie Defrin responded on X (formerly Twitter), disputing the reports. He said that the IDF targets Hamas while deliberately avoiding civilian areas. Defrin said that the GHF distribution center effectively provides aid to civilians, and blamed Hamas for actively attempting “to sabotage the delivery of aid.” He said the IDF did not fire at civilians at the center, and that any reports otherwise are “Hamas propaganda.” Defrin asserted that the IDF is committed to investigating any incidents.

The GHF has faced criticism from the UN for being unable to provide enough aid to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been further exacerbated by Israel’s two-month blockade on aid. The GHF aid is only accessible by walking long distances, making it inaccessible for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, the injured, and the disabled. Aid is also distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. The UN and other humanitarian groups have stressed that organizations already operating in Gaza would be able to meet the demands for aid and supplies if Israel would allow them to.

Volker Türk reiterated that the “wilful” impeding of access to life-saving humanitarian aid may constitute war crimes and breaches of international law under the 1949 Geneva Conventions. He also highlighted the ongoing breaches of international law in Gaza over the past 20 months, including “destruction on a massive scale, repeated forced displacements,” and “dehumanizing rhetoric.”  The attacking and killing of civilians is a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Türk reminded Israel of its obligations under the International Court of Justice’s ruling to take “all necessary and effective measures to ensure” the “unhindered provision” of humanitarian services and assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Innocent VIII authorizes Germany witchcraft prosecutions

Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus on December 5, 1484, authorizing Dominican friars and witch hunters Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger to prosecute witchcraft in Germany. The prosecutions would later give rise to the 1486 publication of Kramer and Sprenger's Malleus Malificarum ("Hammer of the Witches") which prescribed torture as a way to coerce confessions out of suspected witches. Historians view the text as having promoted a misogynistic witch craze in late medieval Europe. Read the full papal bull.

21st Amendment ended Prohibition

On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, ending the ban on the legal sale and importation of alcohol that had been introduced in 1919 by the 18th Amendment. Learn how the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers helped bring about Prohibition's repeal.

Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria and South Yemen

On December 5, 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat broke off diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria and South Yemen in response to the Declaration of Tripoli, which imposed sanctions on Eygpt. These hardline Arab nations had promulgated the Declaration in order to punish Egypt for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. In 1979, Egypt signed a formal peace treaty with Israel, leading to Sadat's assassination in 1981. Learn more from the BBC.