UN report: Israeli use of heavy bombs in Gaza raises war law concerns

The United Nations Human Rights Office has released an assessment on Wednesday (19 June), detailing six emblematic attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza last year.

These attacks, which took place between 9 October and 2 December 2023, resulted in high civilian casualties and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, raising serious concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law.

The report documents the use of GBU-31 (2,000 lbs), GBU-32 (1,000 lbs), and GBU-39 (250 lbs) bombs in strikes on residential buildings, a school, refugee camps, and a market.

These six attacks alone resulted in 218 confirmed deaths, though the UN suggests the actual number of fatalities may be significantly higher.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed grave concerns about Israel’s adherence to international humanitarian law.

“The requirement to select means and methods of warfare that avoid or at the very least minimize civilian harm appears to have been consistently violated in Israel’s bombing campaign,” Türk stated.

The report concludes that the pattern of Israeli strikes indicates potential repeated violations of fundamental principles of the laws of war, which regulates the conditions for initiating war and the conduct of hostilities.

It emphasizes that such unlawful targeting, if part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians, could constitute crimes against humanity.

Since 7 October, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have involved extensive use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.

This approach, the report argues, failed to distinguish adequately between civilians and combatants.

“Civilian lives and infrastructure are protected under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which clearly obligates parties to armed conflicts to prioritize civilian protection,” the report states.

On 11 November 2023, the IDF reportedly struck over 5,000 targets in Gaza to eliminate threats in real time.

By this time, the Gaza Ministry of Health documented 11,078 Palestinian deaths, with an additional 2,700 missing and approximately 27,490 injured.

Statements from IDF officials around this period highlighted a focus on causing maximum damage, with one spokesperson describing Gaza residents as “human beasts.”

The report also acknowledges the ongoing indiscriminate rocket fire from Palestinian armed groups toward Israel, violating international humanitarian law.

It stresses the necessity for all parties to avoid locating military objectives in or near densely populated areas to protect civilians.

One of the most severe attacks detailed in the report occurred on 2 December 2023, in Gaza City’s Ash Shujaiyeh neighborhood.

The strikes destroyed 15 buildings, damaged at least 14 others, and resulted in at least 60 deaths.

The use of nine GBU-31 bombs in such a densely populated area likely constitutes a prohibited indiscriminate attack, as these weapons’ effects cannot be limited to military targets.

The report underscores that in five of the six documented attacks, no warnings were issued, raising significant concerns about the IDF’s adherence to the principle of precaution in attacks.

In three instances, the IDF claimed it targeted individuals linked to attacks on Israel from early October 2023.

However, the report argues that the presence of combatants does not justify treating entire neighborhoods as military objectives, violating proportionality and prohibiting indiscriminate attacks.

High Commissioner Türk called for transparency and accountability from Israel.

“While the IDF asserts it has initiated factual assessments of most of the incidents examined in the report, it is now eight months since the first of these extremely serious incidents occurred. Yet still there is no clarity as to what happened or steps toward accountability,” he stated.

Türk urged Israel to publicly disclose detailed findings and ensure thorough, independent investigations to identify those responsible and uphold victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparations.