clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Hamas: Israel preventing UN investigation team from entering Gaza to cover up its crimes

November 14, 2014 at 12:44 pm

Hamas has described Israel’s refusal to allow the committee formed by the UN Human Rights Council to enter the Gaza Strip to investigate violations of international and human rights law during its latest aggression as an attempt to cover up its crimes.

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri issued a press statement on Thursday evening, a copy of which was obtained by Anadolu news agency, that said: “Israel’s refusal to allow the UN investigation team into Gaza is an attempt on its part to cover up its war crimes.”

Abu Zuhri urged the investigators to “uphold their right to enter the Gaza Strip and to refrain from conducting any external investigation, because that would lead to covering up the heinous war crimes where they actually happened.”

He also called on the Palestinian Authority to “uphold its responsibilities and force Israel to allow the UN team to work freely and openly”.

Anadolu also reported that a group of Palestinian human rights organisations released a joint statement on Friday, which said: “Israel has prevented the UN investigation team, formed by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate Israel’s latest attack on Gaza, from entering the Palestinian territories, until now, in a clear obstruction of the team’s work.”

The organisations that issued the statement included the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights, and Al-Haq. The statement called on the international community to take all necessary measures to put pressure on Israel and to prevent it from obstructing the work of the UN committee.

The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on 23 July 2014 that approved the formation of an in independent international inquiry body to probe all violations of international and human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, and especially in the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched a brutal war on Palestinians in Gaza on 7 July 2014 that lasted for 51 days and resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Palestinians and the injury of 11,000 others, mostly civilians. It also led to the complete destruction of over 9,000 homes and the partial destruction of 8,000 others, according to official Palestinian statistics.