GENEVA: The United Nations insisted that Israel must ensure its investigations into alleged unlawful killings in Gaza produce concrete results.
United Nations human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan stated that justice must follow these probes into incidents like Monday’s hospital strike that killed twenty people.
“The Israeli authorities have, in the past, announced investigations in such killings,“ Kheetan told reporters in Geneva.
“It’s of course the responsibility of Israel, as the occupying power, to investigate -- but these investigations need to yield results,“ he said.
Kheetan expressed concern over the large number of media workers killed in the Gaza war, stating it raises many questions about journalist targeting.
His comments followed an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis that killed at least twenty people, including five journalists.
Reuters, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera all issued statements mourning their slain contributors after the incident.
The Israeli military said it would investigate the hospital strike that sparked international outcry.
Kheetan noted that the UN has yet to see results or accountability measures from previous Israeli investigations.
“We haven’t seen results or accountability measures yet. We have yet to see the results of these investigations, and we call for accountability and justice,“ he said.
At least 247 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
“These journalists are the eyes and the ears of the whole world and they must be protected,“ Kheetan emphasized.
When asked if Monday’s attack could constitute a “double-tap” strike, Kheetan said this needed proper investigation.
He reported that the Israeli military launched multiple air strikes on the Nasser Medical Complex within a short period.
Kheetan described how one journalist died in the first strike while three others, including a woman journalist, died in the second strike.
He called the incident “a shock” and “unacceptable” while demanding thorough and independent investigation.
“This incident and the killing of all civilians, including journalists, must be thoroughly and independently investigated, and justice must follow,“ he concluded. – AFP
