UN commission accuses Israel of obstructing October 7 probe

GENEVA (Reuters) – A UN-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 October 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.”

He appealed to the government of Israel, as well as victims and witnesses of the attack, to aid the commission in conducting its probe.

In response to Sidoti’s comments, the Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva said it had been carrying out its investigation into the crimes, and that representatives of the United Nations and other institutions had been to Israel and met with survivors and victims.

Victims would “never get any justice or the dignified treatment they deserve from the Commission of Inquiry and its members,” it said in a statement, describing the commission as having “a track record of antisemitic and anti-Israel statements.”

The UN commission of inquiry, set up in 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, is mandated to collect evidence and identify perpetrators of international crimes.

The evidence gathered by such UN 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 transfers to Israel. Those findings will be presented at the UN Human Rights Council in June next year.

The UN human-rights office on Tuesday said Israel was still imposing “unlawful” restrictions on humanitarian relief for Gaza, despite assertions from Israel and others that barriers have eased. The amount of aid now entering Gaza is disputed, with Israel and Washington saying aid flows have risen in recent days, while UN agencies say it is still far below bare minimum levels.

Israel is under international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, especially northern areas where famine is expected by May, according to the United Nations. The IDF said it had facilitated the entry of 126 trucks into northern Gaza late on Monday from the south.

It also said it was working in collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP) to facilitate the opening of two more bakeries in northern Gaza after the first began operations on Monday with WFP help.

Last week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said there were significant breakthroughs that could increase the humanitarian aid to 500 trucks per day, including through the opening of the Ashdod Port and the Erez crossing, along with coordination with Jordan. The number of incoming trucks has increased in the last two months, he said.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report. •