UN agency urges Israel to investigate killing of 11 unarmed Palestinian men

ANKARA (AA) – A UN agency has urged Israel to launch an investigation into incidents in which its army killed at least 11 unarmed Palestinian men in front of their family members in Gaza City.

“The Israeli authorities must immediately institute an independent, thorough and effective investigation into these allegations, and if found to be substantiated, those responsible must be brought to justice and measures implemented to prevent any such serious violations from recurring,” the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report, “Unlawful killings in Gaza City.”

The claim “raises alarm about the possible commission of a war crime,” said OHCHR.

The Israeli military (IDF) reportedly raided the Al Awda building, also known as the “Annan building,” in the Al Remal neighborhood, where three related families were sheltering, in addition to the Annan family, according to OHCHR.

While in control of the building and civilians there, the army separated the men from the women and children, and shot and killed at least 11 of them, mostly aged in their late 20s and early 30s, in front of their family members, OHCHR noted.

The IDF then allegedly ordered the women and children into a room and either shot at them or threw a grenade into the room, reportedly seriously injuring some, including an infant and a child.

The OHCHR confirmed the killings although details and circumstances are “still under verification.”

The IDF has yet to release information about the incident, said the UN agency.