Human Rights Watch claimed in a study released on Wednesday that Hamas led other Palestinian armed groups in committing hundreds of war crimes during the surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that sparked the Gaza war.
Numerous possible war crimes cases were described in one of the most comprehensive international examinations on the unprecedented foray into southern Israel.
“There were clearly hundreds on that day,” HRW associate director Belkis Wille said at a press conference, “but it’s impossible for us to put a number on the specific instances.”
The report listed the following as crimes: “mutilation and despoiling (robbing) of bodies; use of human shields; willful killing of persons in custody; cruel and other inhumane treatment; sexual and gender-based violence; hostage taking; and pillage and looting.”
The study focuses on transgressions of international humanitarian law, which are regulations primarily derived from the Geneva Conventions on military behavior.
The study names Palestinian Islamic Jihad among the armed organizations who perpetrated war crimes on October 7, despite the fact that Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organization, is acknowledged as the attack’s mastermind.
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