Israel/Palästina

Iran has dismissed calls from the UK and other Western countries to refrain from retaliation against Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, called on Friday for the Israeli authorities to monitor senior officials whose public statements on the Gaza conflict may promote war crimes. OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk “is shocked and appalled” by comments made by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who suggested that letting two million Palestinians in Gaza starve to death could be “justified and moral” in order to free hostages.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has expressed horror at the escalating pattern of Israeli Defence Force (IDF) strikes on schools in Gaza, which have killed at least 163 internally displaced Palestinians, including children and women, in the past month.

UN internal investigation has concluded that nine of 19 Palestinian staffers accused by Israel “may have been involved” in the October 7 terror attacks in southern Israel, while insufficient or no evidence was found regarding 10 others. … All of the 19 were employed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees.

Reports of alleged torture and sexual violence in Israel’s Sde Teiman prison represent “the tip of the iceberg”, UN independent human rights experts warned on Monday, calling for swift action to end impunity surrounding reports of violations against Palestinian detainees.

Top Iranian officials will meet the representatives of Iran's regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen on Thursday to discuss potential retaliation against Israel after the killing of the Hamas leader in Tehran, five sources told Reuters.

The UN’s top political affairs official reiterated the urgent need for de-escalation in the Middle East, appealing in the Security Council on Wednesday for “swift and effective diplomatic action”, as ambassadors met in an emergency meeting on the latest flare-up in hostilities.

The United Nations human rights office says Palestinians detained by Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza may have been tortured. … UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said testimony received by his office suggested Israeli authorities may have inflicted "appalling acts" on detainees, including "waterboarding and the release of dogs".

UN Member States must immediately comply with the recent “landmark ruling” by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a group of 38 UN independent human rights experts said on Tuesday. 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Wednesday told the US Congress that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is also America’s war. “Our fight is your fight … Our enemies are your enemies,” Netanyahu said to thunderous applause. Despite the overwhelming show of support from parts of the the chamber, dozens of congressional Democrats boycotted the speech while thousands of protesters demonstrated outside the Capitol building.