The UN Human Rights Office has said that war crimes may have been committed in connection with the Israeli hostage rescue in the Gaza Strip on the weekend, partly because of the high number of casualties on the Palestinian side.
"We are profoundly shocked at the impact on civilians of the Israeli forces’ operation in An Nuseirat at the weekend to secure the release of four hostages," the office in Geneva said, questioning whether the principles of international humanitarian law were observed.
The way the mission was carried out was "catastrophic ... because civilians were caught in the middle of it,” said the office's spokesman, Jeremy Laurence.
War crimes may also have been committed on the Palestinian side, he said. These include the detention of hostages in a densely populated area, which in a conflict puts both the hostages and Palestinian civilians' lives in danger.
According to the health authority controlled by the Islamist Hamas, more than 270 people were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday during the operation to free four Israeli hostages.
The hostages were abducted from Israel during the terrorist attack on October 7.
