Briefing: Crisis In Israel And The Occupied Palestinian Territories
As this briefing outlines, war crimes have and continue to be committed on both sides. Israel’s well-documented record of war crimes does not excuse Palestinian armed groups’ war crimes, nor absolve them from upholding their obligations under international law to respect fundamental principles of humanity and protection of civilians. Targeting and killing civilians is a war crime and there can be no justification for Hamas’s reprehensible attacks. As Israeli forces’ retaliatory attacks pummel Gaza, Amnesty insists that neither security nor justice will be achieved by a civilian bloodbath in Gaza and collective punishment.
In 2021, the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine with a mandate covering crimes under international law committed by all parties in the current conflict, as well as the crime against humanity of apartheid against Palestinians.
Amnesty calls on the ICC prosecutor to expedite the investigation and to include the recent crimes committed by all parties. The international community – including the UK government – should urgently express full and unconditional support for the ICC and ensure it has all the resources it needs, including for its investigation into the situation in Palestine.