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Hamas-led armed teams dedicated “quite a few battle crimes and crimes towards humanity” towards civilians throughout the October 7 assault in southern Israel, in accordance to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report launched Wednesday.
In a 236-page report titled “‘I Can’t Erase All of the Blood from My Thoughts’: Palestinian Armed Teams’ October 7 Assault on Israel,” the rights watchdog stated that the October 7 assault was “directed towards a civilian inhabitants,” and that “killing civilians and taking hostages have been central goals of the deliberate assault, not an afterthought, a plan gone awry, or remoted acts.”
“The Hamas-led assault on October 7 was designed to kill civilians and take as many individuals as attainable hostage,” stated Ida Sawyer, disaster and battle director at HRW.
The assault was led by Hamas’ navy wing – the Qassam Brigades – however included a minimum of 4 different Palestinian armed teams, the report stated.
The report particulars a number of dozen instances of significant violations of worldwide humanitarian legislation by Palestinian armed teams at most civilian assault websites on October 7, when militants killed 1,200 individuals in Israel and took greater than 250 individuals hostage, in keeping with Israeli authorities.
The rights group stated it interviewed 144 individuals, together with 94 Israeli and different nationals, who witnessed the October 7 assault, which focused a minimum of 19 kibbutzim (agricultural communes) and 5 moshavim (cooperative communities). The cities of Sderot and Ofakim, two music festivals, and a seaside occasion have been additionally focused, HRW added.
“The armed teams dedicated quite a few violations of the legal guidelines of battle that quantity to battle crimes,” the report stated. These embrace “assaults focusing on civilians and civilian objects, willful killing of individuals in custody, merciless and different inhumane remedy.” Palestinian fighters dedicated abstract killings and hostage-taking together with homicide and wrongful imprisonment, HRW added.
Sexual and gender-based violence
The report additionally highlighted “crimes involving sexual and gender-based violence, hostage-taking, mutilation and despoiling our bodies, use of human shields, and pillage and looting.”
Israel and the United Nations have additionally accused Hamas-led militants of committing sexual violence on October 7.
In March, the UN particular envoy on sexual violence in battle, Pramila Patten, stated her staff discovered “affordable grounds to consider that battle associated sexual violence, together with rape and gang rape occurred” that day. It was the UN’s most definitive discovering on allegations of sexual assault within the aftermath of the assault.
A number of first responders who attended the scenes of the October 7 assault informed CNN in December that the assaults have been overwhelmingly grotesque and that some feminine victims have been discovered undressed.
HRW stated that Hamas responded to its questions, stating that its forces have been instructed to not goal civilians and to abide by worldwide human rights and humanitarian legislation. “In lots of instances, Human Rights Watch investigations discovered proof on the contrary,” the watchdog stated.
Hamas rejected the findings of the report and known as for it to be retracted, in keeping with an announcement on Wednesday.
“We reject the lies and blatant bias in the direction of the occupation and the dearth of professionalism and credibility within the Human Rights Watch report. We demand its withdrawal and an apology,” the Palestinian group stated.
In response to the October 7 assault, Israel launched an air and floor offensive on Gaza that has killed greater than 38,000 individuals within the enclave, in keeping with Palestinian authorities. The battle has displaced nearly all of Gaza’s inhabitants of two million, turned swathes of the territory into rubble and triggered a large humanitarian disaster.
Earlier HRW experiences have addressed a number of alleged critical violations by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7. In its Wednesday report, HRW known as on all events concerned within the battle to abide by worldwide humanitarian legislation.
“The Palestinian armed teams in Gaza ought to instantly and unconditionally launch civilians held hostage,” the report stated, including that each events “ought to give up for prosecution anybody going through an Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC) warrant.”
In Could, the ICC stated it was searching for arrest warrants for Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas chief in Gaza, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amongst different Israeli and Hamas officers, on prices of battle crimes and crimes towards humanity over the October 7 assaults and the following battle in Gaza. A case can be being heard by the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) over an accusation by South Africa that Israel is committing genocide in its battle in Gaza.
“Atrocities don’t justify atrocities,” Sawyer stated. “To cease the countless cycle of abuses in Israel and Palestine, it’s crucial to deal with root causes and maintain violators of grave crimes to account. That’s within the pursuits of each Palestinians and Israelis.”
