Israel violated international law by “relentlessly” bombing the Gaza Strip, destroying neighborhoods and killing thousands of Palestinians, a United Nations human rights expert said on Thursday.
“Israel has done a series of things that are completely illegal, completely illegal,” assured Francesca Albanese during a press conference in Madrid.
The comments by Ms Albanese, an Italian lawyer and UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, came as Israel faced a complaint filed by South Africa with the UN International Court of Justice accusing Israel of “genocide”.
If Israel has the right to defend itself, international humanitarian law must be respected “to protect people who are not actively involved in the fighting: civilians, prisoners of war, the sick and wounded,” she added. “We must distinguish combatants from civilians and ensure attacks are proportionate,” Ms Albanese said. “Instead, we experienced more than 100 days of relentless bombing – the first two weeks with 6,000 bombs a week, 2,000-pound bombs, in densely populated areas,” she argued.