Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has recently issued directives to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning United Nations personnel in Israel. On Monday, Cohen instructed the ministry not to renew the residence visa of one UN employee and to refuse a visa application for another staff member.
Cohen stated on the “X” platform that Israel will no longer remain silent in the face of what he perceives as the hypocrisy of the United Nations. He expressed that the UN’s conduct since October 7 has been disgraceful to both the organization and the international community. Cohen criticized various representatives and bodies of the UN, including the Secretary-General for allegedly legitimizing war crimes, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for purportedly spreading baseless slanders, and the UN Women’s organization for ignoring sexual assaults against Israeli women.
He concluded by affirming Israel’s position to stop working with those who collaborate with what he describes as propaganda promoted by the Hamas terrorist organization.
The recent situation in Gaza has been marked by severe violence and alleged war crimes, particularly in the context of Israeli military operations. According to Amnesty International, a series of attacks by Israeli forces have caused significant civilian casualties, raising serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law.
The recent situation in Gaza has been marked by several incidents that have raised serious concerns about potential war crimes committed by Israeli forces. Amnesty International has documented various instances of unlawful Israeli attacks, including indiscriminate attacks that caused mass civilian casualties. These incidents must be investigated as potential war crimes.
One notable incident involved an Israeli attack on a three-storey residential building in the al-Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, where fifteen members of the al-Dos family, including seven children, were killed. Amnesty International’s investigation found no evidence of military targets in the area at the time of the attack, suggesting that this might have been a direct attack on civilians or a civilian object, which are prohibited under international law and constitute war crimes.
Another incident reported by Amnesty International occurred on October 10, when an Israeli air strike on a family home in Gaza City’s al-Sahaba Street killed 12 members of the Hijazi family and four of their neighbors, including three children. The Israeli military claimed to have struck Hamas targets in the area but did not provide any evidence of the presence of military targets. Amnesty International found no evidence of military targets in the area at the time of the attack.
Furthermore, Al Jazeera reported that UN officials have warned of the growing risk of “atrocities” in Gaza, with Palestinians experiencing “deepening horror” as Israel intensifies its assault. The UN high commissioner for human rights urged Israel, Hamas, and international actors to prevent atrocity crimes and called for the Israeli authorities to take immediate steps to end widespread impunity for such violations.
Additionally, the Gaza media office has reported that at least 100 journalists have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7. This figure highlights the severe impact of the conflict on media personnel, who are protected under international humanitarian laws.
