UN demands justice over Israeli double strike that killed 20

The UN has mentioned “there must be justice” following Israel’s double strike on a Gaza hospital which killed at the very least 20 folks, as an preliminary Israeli navy probe mentioned the strike had focused a “digital camera positioned by Hamas”.

Condemnation of the assault, whose victims included 5 journalists and 4 well being employees, has been mounting, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing it as “utterly indefensible”.

Afterward Tuesday the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) launched its preliminary inquiry, which recognized a number of “gaps” for additional investigation.

It got here as Israelis launched a day of nationwide protests calling on their authorities to simply accept a deal to launch the hostages.

Monday’s assault on Nasser hospital in Khan Younis noticed an preliminary strike kill at the very least one particular person earlier than a second in the identical location about 10 minutes later hit journalists and rescuers who have been attending the scene.

At the least 20 folks have been killed together with 4 well being employees and 5 journalists who labored for worldwide media shops, together with the Related Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera and Center East Eye.

“It is a shock and this unacceptable,” UN human rights workplace spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan mentioned on Tuesday.

“This raises many, many questions on the focusing on of journalists and all of those incidents should completely be investigated and people accountable have to be held accountable.”

Talking about previous Israeli investigations into deaths in Gaza, he added: “These investigations have to yield outcomes. There must be justice. We’ve not seen outcomes or accountability measures but.”

In its assertion, the IDF mentioned it recognized a digital camera positioned by Hamas within the space of the hospital “used to look at the exercise of IDF troops”.

“The troops operated to take away the menace by placing and dismantling the digital camera,” the assertion mentioned. It alleged that six of these killed have been “terrorists”. A navy spokesperson later mentioned that journalists working for Reuters and the Related Press had not been a goal.

The IDF report seems to be a shift in tone from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s assertion on Monday night, which characterised the incident as a “tragic mishap”.

Nonetheless the IDF didn’t clarify why a second assault was launched minutes after the primary. It as an alternative mentioned additional investigation was wanted into the authorisation course of, together with the ammunition used and the navy’s “decision-making course of within the area”.

Israel has repeatedly focused hospitals in Gaza all through the warfare, regardless of the protections they obtain in worldwide regulation, saying that the medical services are being utilized by Hamas.

In Israel, protesters blocked highways with burning tyres and held demonstrations in Tel Aviv and different cities to demand their authorities agree a ceasefire deal to return the remaining hostages held by Hamas, and finish the warfare.

The Israeli authorities has to date dismissed a ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas, regardless of its having beforehand signing as much as it.

Netanyahu says the federal government now needs a special deal that might see all hostages launched in a single alternate.

Israel believes that solely 20 of the 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are nonetheless alive after 22 months of warfare.

“Israel is standing towards Netanyahu and his regime,” mentioned Yehuda Cohen, father of Nimrod Cohen, who was taken hostage within the Hamas assault of seven October 2023.

“One other day for protest, one other day to verify the difficulty of the hostages stays a excessive precedence. One other day to strain Netanyahu and pressure him to finish the warfare and get a hostage deal.”

In Jerusalem, lots of of demonstrators gathered outdoors the prime minister’s workplace the place a safety cupboard assembly was going down.

Qatar, one of many events concerned in ceasefire talks – mentioned mediators have been nonetheless “ready for a solution” from Israel to the newest proposal.

“The accountability now lies on the Israeli facet to answer a suggestion that’s on the desk. Anything is political posturing,” mentioned overseas ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari.

The Hamas-run well being ministry in Gaza mentioned on Tuesday that the our bodies of 75 Palestinians had arrived at its services over the earlier 24 hours.

Israel has unveiled a plan for its military to take management of Gaza Metropolis, regardless of widespread worldwide and home opposition. Israel’s defence minister has mentioned Gaza Metropolis will probably be destroyed if Hamas doesn’t conform to disarm and launch all hostages.

A UN-backed physique has confirmed a famine is going down in Gaza Metropolis and its surrounding areas. The Built-in Meals Safety Section Classification (IPC) says greater than half 1,000,000 folks throughout Gaza are going through “catastrophic” circumstances characterised by “hunger, destitution and demise”.

The report was labelled an “outright lie” by Israel, which has denied there may be hunger within the territory.

Israel’s navy launched a marketing campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, through which about 1,200 folks have been killed and 251 others have been taken hostage.

At the least 62,819 folks have been killed in Gaza since then, in line with the territory’s well being ministry.

Most of Gaza’s inhabitants has additionally been displaced a number of occasions; greater than 90% of houses are estimated to be broken or destroyed; and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene programs have collapsed.