Gaza, Palestine — The conflict in Gaza has seen a grim milestone with more than 44,300 lives lost, predominately women and children, marking a harrowing chapter in what has become a long-standing and escalating situation. Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti, a commissioner with the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, sheds light on the ongoing human rights investigations tied to the conflict.
The catastrophic toll has seen over 13,000 children perish, with hundreds aged under one. The current escalation follows the outbreak of violence last year on October 7, triggered by attacks from armed groups including Hamas in southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,700 Israelis and foreign nationals, and over 100 remaining held as hostages in Gaza.
Sidoti’s career, stretching over decades including a prior UN commission of inquiry into Myanmar, brings a depth of understanding to the current strife in Gaza. He discussed the structure and objectives of the Commission of Inquiry which was established prior to the recent surge in violence, aimed at investigating occurrences and facilitating accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Commission offers biannual reports to the United Nations, tackling varied human rights issues within the context of the conflict. Their findings play a crucial role in international and local judicial proceedings, enhancing the push toward accountability.
Before the devastating events of October 7, 2023, the Commission focused on the root causes of the conflict, leading to conclusive findings on the unlawfulness of the occupation of Palestinian territories—a position that was later supported by an International Court of Justice advisory opinion.
The recent conflict has unearthed severe violations by both Israeli military strategies in Gaza and the actions of Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel, detailing war crimes including deliberate civilian targeting, hostage-taking, and the occurrence of sexual violence. The Commission’s probing revealed a strategy of total destruction by Israeli forces, leading to mass casualties and systematic violations of human rights.
Moreover, the Israeli attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system were highlighted as a calculated campaign, destroying essential infrastructure and leading to a catastrophic collapse of medical services in the region. The detainment conditions of Palestinians and the treatment of Israeli hostages further underscored the severity of the breach of international laws, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Reflecting on potential peace processes, Sidoti recognized the longstanding proposed solution of a two-state resolution as outlined in the UN’s 1947 partition plan. However, he noted the persistent lack of political will from leaders on both sides to genuinely pursue this pathway toward peace, highlighted by recent legislative actions by the Israeli government explicitly rejecting this approach.
With the current landscape providing little room for optimism, Sidoti expressed a poignant uncertainty about the future, emphasizing the necessity of political determination to forge a path to reconciliation and peace.
His extended insights highlight both the complexity and the gravity of the situation in Gaza, underscoring the substantial human cost of the conflict and the urgent need for an effective resolution that honors the rights and dignities of all parties involved.