International
Hamas committed crimes against humanity in the October 7 assault, according to HRW
Human Rights Watch (HRW) determined that the Islamist organization Hamas committed “numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity” in the attacks in Israel on October 7, in which almost 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
“The Human Rights Watch investigation concluded that the assault led by Hamas on October 7 was designed to kill civilians and take as many people as possible hostages,” said the group’s director of crisis and conflict, Ida Sawyer, in her latest report.
In the report ‘I can’t erase all the blood from my mind: the assault on Palestinian armed groups on October 7 in Israel’, HRW concludes that the Islamists committed several crimes against humanity: targeting civilians, deliberate murder of detainees, cruel and inhumane treatment, sexual and gender-based violence, hostage-taking, mutilation and looting of corpses, use of human shields and looting and looting.
The basic principle of humanitarian law is that all parties to a conflict must distinguish at all times between fighters and civilians, “who should never be the target of an attack,” HRW recalls.
In this sense, HRW stressed that 815 of the 1,195 people killed that day were civilians. And of the 251 kidnapped in the assault – of which 116 are still in Gaza, 42 of them dead – most are civilians.
These actions were not “a late occurrence, a failed plan or isolated acts,” says the organization, which has studied to prepare the report the testimonies of victims, relatives, assistance teams and medical experts, as well as more than 280 photographs and videos of the assault.
“The Hamas authorities responded to HRW’s questions by assuring that they ordered their forces not to attack civilians and not to deviate from human rights and humanitarian law,” says HRW, who claims “to have found evidence to the contrary.”
In the videos of the assault, the militiamen are seen actively looking for civilians and killing them, being proven the intentionality of the attacks and hostage-taking, which was “planned and highly coordinated.”
HRW said it requires further investigation to prove other crimes, such as the prosecution of identifiable groups on racial, ethnic or religious grounds or the commission of rape or other acts of sexual violence.
In this regard, the organization identified crimes on the part of the militiamen such as subjecting the hostages to forced nudity or the dissemination of sexualized images without their consent, but found no verifiable information when talking with the kidnapped, their relatives or witnesses about rapes.
HRW requested access to information about sexual violence from the Government of Israel, which did not attend to it.
HRW highlighted the commission of crimes against humanity by Israel by carrying out a collective punishment against the Gaza population after the attacks, defined by the cut of essential services and the limitation of the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, where from October 7 until today more than 38,700 Palestinians have been killed by the military offensive.
This punishment “aggravates the impact of the more than 17 years of illegal closure of Gaza by Israel,” a country that he accused of also committing “crimes of apartheid and persecution against the Palestinians.”
HRW called on all parties to respect humanitarian law, as well as the Palestinian militias in Gaza to “immediately and unconditionally release the civilians they hold hostage.”
“They must take disciplinary measures against members responsible for war crimes and hand over for prosecution anyone who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC),” he said.
On May 20, the ICC’s chief prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohamed Deif.
Deif was the target of an Israeli attack on Saturday in Mawasi, southern Gaza, without his death being confirmed.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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