The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday that attacks against people involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to war crimes, following a deadly strike by Israel against aid workers in the Gaza strip. “Attacking people or objects involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to a war crime,” U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said. “As the High Commissioner has repeatedly stated, impunity must end.”
Celebrity Chef and Founder of World Central Kitchen Jose Andres lost seven colleagues when Israeli air strikes hit his convoy on Tuesday. Andres said they shouldn’t have been at risk in the first place because the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) knew the movements of the convoy. He does not believe Israel’s version that the strike was ‘unintentional’. Global leaders have condemned the deaths of the humanitarian workers. While Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese called Israel’s explanation “not good enough” Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez has called it “unacceptable.”
In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his regret and said the strikes were “unintended.”
Israel says it has dismissed two officers over the air strikes
President Biden also spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu post the strike on Thursday. In the two months following the Oct. 7 attacks, Biden approved two emergency transfers of military aid to Israel worth $254 million. On Monday, hours before the killing of the World Central Kitchen workers, the U.S. approved the shipment of some 2,000 bombs to Israel’s arsenal, according to CNN. The US president reportedly told Netanyahu that he must protect civilians or there would be consequences.
Post the conversation, the Daily Mail reported that the Israeli PM had agreed to open up more crossings for aid. He announced that the Erez crossing would be temporarily reopened. Israel said it would also allow its port in Ashdod to process aid shipments bound for Gaza and allow an increase in Jordanian aid shipments.
Tensions are already high as Israel fired on the Iranian mission in Syria killing seven earlier in the week. A top IRGC commander was killed in the strike. Iran has vowed revenge and Israel is on high alert
