The UN Office of The High Commissioner for Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence expressed concerns on Tuesday over the impact on Palestinian civilians of the Israeli raid in An Nuseirat to secure the release of four hostages.

The raid took place in a densely populated area, raising concerns over the respect of the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution by the Israeli forces. The raid resulted in hundreds of Palestinians, most of them civilians, being killed and injured. Laurence also states that because Palestinian armed groups continue to hold hostages in these densely populated areas, the groups are putting the lives of Palestinian civilians at risk. With most of the hostages being civilians, the groups are breaking international humanitarian law. According to Laurence, the actions of both parties may constitute war crimes.

The representative of Israel in a Security Council meeting stated that civilians participated in holding hostages, which means that according to the representative, the civilians were complicit in the crimes of the terrorists. The representative furthermore said, “Israel regrets any harm to civilians, but it must be emphasized that Palestinians who cooperate with Hamas and take part in their war crimes are not uninvolved”.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, welcomes the recent Security Council Resolution 2735 which calls for an immediate and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages, the return of the remains of killed hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The commissioner states that priority must be given to ensure the full and unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza. Furthermore the commissioner calls on Palestine, Israel and third states, to maximize their efforts to work towards the goal whereby Israelis and Palestinians can enjoy all human rights and live side by side in peace.