UN commission accuses Israel of obstructing Oct. 7 probe
A U.N.-mandated commission of inquiry that probes violations of international human rights law on Tuesday accused Israel of obstructing its efforts to collect evidence from the victims of the attack by Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
"So far as the government of Israel is concerned, we have not only seen a lack of cooperation, but active obstruction of our efforts to receive evidence from Israeli witnesses and victims to the events that occurred in southern Israel," said Chris Sidoti, one of three members of a commission of inquiry into abuses committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
"We have contact with many, but we would like to have contact with more."
Sidoti appealed to the government of Israel, as well as victims and witnesses of the attack, to aid the commission in conducting its probe.
Israel began its campaign against Hamas after the Palestinian fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The U.N. commission of inquiry, set up in 2021 by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, is mandated to collect evidence and identify perpetrators of international crimes.
The evidence gathered by such U.N. bodies has formed the basis for war crimes prosecutions and the International Criminal Court.
Earlier this month, the Commission was mandated to probe two additional lines of inquiry: violent settlers and settler groups, and arms transfer to Israel. Those findings will be presented at the U.N. Human Rights Council in June next year.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will travel to Israel on Tuesday for discussions on how to prevent an escalation of tensions in the region following Iran's attack over the weekend, she said in Berlin.
"It is incredibly important for us as the German federal government in these fragile times that we all work together to contribute to de-escalation for the entire region," said Baerbock at a news conference with her Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi.
Meanwhile, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has once again warned Israel against mounting a military counterattack following Iran's recent air assault on Israel.
During a telephone call with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Raisi warned that "the slightest action" by Israel against Iran's national interests "will have extensive and painful consequences." Details of the call were published on the web portal of Iran's presidential office.
Iran has recently warned Israel several times of a military response to its large-scale attack, in which hundreds of drones and missiles were fired towards Israel on Saturday night.
The Iranian response to any further Israeli action would be "at least 10 times more drastic" than the first attack, the country's Security Council said in a press release.