UN-backed experts say Israel, Hamas committed war crimes in early stages of war

Human rights experts backed by the United Nations issued a report Wednesday that said the Israeli military and Hamas both committed war crimes in the first months of the ongoing war in Gaza.

The group of independent experts said Israeli forces and Palestinian militants engaged in war crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence. Israel is also said to have committed crimes against humanity for the expansive civilian loss, The Associated Press reported.

The report examined media reports from the start of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel until the end of 2023, and it argued both sides in the war have committed crimes.

Israel, which has rejected the allegations, is said to have committed acts like forced starvation, murder or willful killing, collective punishment and intentional attacks on civilians.

Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups performed deliberate killings and mistreatment of civilians and hostages, the report authors alleged.

Hamas has denied committing sexual violence against Israeli women, but the report outlined documented cases that occurred at the site of the Nova Music Festival and other places.

The AP noted the independent group was established in 2021 to examine rights violations in the area and does not speak for the U.N.

Israel said it was outrageous for the group to equate Israeli military soldiers and Hamas.

The report follows the recovery of four Israeli hostages. The special operation conducted to rescue the hostages killed at least 210 Palestinians, a Gaza health official said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all hostages are freed, even as international pressure for a cease-fire increases.

The Biden administration said Tuesday it is evaluating a response from Hamas to a proposal for a temporary, cease-fire that would stop the fighting in Gaza.

It came just after the U.N. Security Council passed a U.S.-drafted resolution that laid out three phases of a cease-fire deal.