She added in statements to ‘Sputnik’ that any movement by the United Nations at this stage that supports the rights of the Palestinian people is the least that can be done. She mentioned that since October 7, 2020, the number of deaths has exceeded 64,800, most of whom are women and children, and the number of child deaths has reached 18,000, directly targeted by the Israeli army with clear and explicit incitement from the Israeli Prime Minister and current ministers in the Israeli government. Ambassador Najm did not see these confirmations as very important in the absence of serious action, the main driver of the organization’s actions, in this case, saying: ‘What I see is that they are treating this issue as if it were a case like all the war issues we are witnessing in different parts of the world,’ criticizing the failure to employ all legal tools available to him as the Secretary-General of the United Nations to affirm the right of the Palestinian delegation to be present at the General Assembly in New York this month, after the host country government, the United States, refused to grant visas to President Abbas and 80 Palestinian officials. She indicated that there are several tools he can use, emphasizing that ‘for two years, we have been witnessing a reality of genocide in full view of everyone, and we do not see the UN Secretary-General’s movement as appropriate for the level of the event we are witnessing now, and we are facing a disaster,’ expressing her hope that this will move some matters and present new evidence condemning Israeli leaders.
Regarding the possibility of using the report to pursue Israeli leaders, Ambassador Najm confirmed that this matter requires the International Criminal Court to move more forcefully than it currently is, expressing her observation of ‘severe slowness in the court’s movement in the case, fearing American oppression and continuous hostility by the Israeli occupying state towards the occupied territories.’ However, she confirmed that this report will undoubtedly add to the evidence that can be used to pursue occupation leaders.
An independent investigation at the United Nations concluded for the first time that ‘Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and its senior officials incited genocide,’ while the committee described the investigation’s outcome as ‘the most reliable UN finding to date.’ In a 72-page report released today, Tuesday, the committee established by the UN Council found that Israel ‘committed four acts of genocide’ in the sector since October 7, 2023. These acts included killing Palestinians in Gaza, inflicting ‘severe physical and mental harm’ on Palestinians, imposing deliberate living conditions aimed at their total or partial destruction, imposing measures aimed at preventing reproduction, and killing nearly 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The report of the fact-finding committee released today, Tuesday, stated: ‘The committee concluded that Israeli authorities partially destroyed the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group, including by imposing measures aimed at preventing reproduction, and deliberately created living conditions designed to inflict physical destruction on Palestinians as a group, which constitute the essence of acts of genocide under the Rome Statute and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention).’
‘Israel continues to commit its most brutal actions against the population since 1984,’ according to the UN committee. The report stated that ‘as early as October 7, 2023, Israeli officials made statements indicating their intent to eliminate Palestinians in Gaza as a group.’ It clarified that all states must fulfill ‘their legal obligations under international law to end this genocide and punish those responsible for it.’
Israel rejected the report, and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for the immediate cancellation of the investigation committee, describing the investigation as ‘a report based entirely on lies.’
