UN: War crimes under way in Israel-Haams conflict

The United Nations organisation (OKB) said on Friday she feels worried that war crimes are being committed by both sides in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The UN Human Rights Office cited collective punishment, hostage taking and mandatory shift during the war that has already entered its 21st day.

“We are concerned that war crimes are being committed. We are concerned about the collective punishment of Gaza residents in response to the cruel attacks by Hamas, which were war crimes, as well as”, UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday.

She said it is up to an independent legal court to say whether war crimes have been committed.

Israel is constantly bombing Gaza since the Hamas militants broke the border barriers and moved from Gaza to the cities of southern Israel, killing 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and kidnapping another 224, according to Israeli officials.

At least 7,028 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including 2,913 children, have been killed in the revenge bombings in Israel, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is led by Hamas.

The death toll given by Hamas cannot be verified independently.

Israel has surrounded Gaza and reduced its supply of food, water, and electricity, completely banning its fuel supply, which it says is being used by Hamas to produce weapons and explosives.

Israel's military called on residents in the north of Gaza Strip to go south before the expected land offensive. /rel