GENEVA: The United Nations will launch a probe into Israeli attacks on UN facilities during its 22-day war in Gaza, officials said yesterday.
John Holmes, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the UN was awaiting results from Israeli investigations into the attacks on a compound of the agency providing aid for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), and on a UN school.
But he added that the UN would also launch its own probe on the strikes.
“We’ll be mounting our own investigations into that and then I’m sure the question of compensations will arise,” he said.
Karen Abu Zayd, who heads UNRWA, said that the agency has calculated about a million dollars worth of damages done to UN facilities by Israel over eight years.
“That’s all been put to Israel for compensation but we haven’t had any,” she said, adding that the agency would make a “bigger claim” following the latest damage.
She said the Israelis had up to six drones above Gaza daily during the three weeks of attacks, and they were therefore “seeing everything and knew where everything were.”
“What happened according to them were mistakes although when your own headquarter compound was bombed and shelled for period of hours it was more than a mistake I think. That’s why we have to have an inquiry,” she said.
The UN also formally launched yesterday a 613 million dollar (470 million euro) appeal for emergency relief aid to those affected by Israel’s attacks in Gaza.
The appeal, which was announced last week, would provide food, water, shelter, health care and other assistance after the conflict which left more than 1,300 dead and caused widespread destruction in the Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, in another development, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was conducting a “preliminary analysis” of alleged crimes committed by Israel during its recent offensive in the Gaza Strip, his office said yesterday.
Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has received communications on this issue from Palestinian Justice Minister Ali Kashan, the Palestinian National Authority, and over 200 other individuals and non-governmental bodies, his office said in response to an email enquiry from AFP.
“The office of the prosecutor will carefully examine all relevant issues, including on jurisdiction,” it said in a written response.
“The preliminary analysis conducted by the office of the prosecutor is not indicative that an investigation will be opened.”
