12 AUGUST 2021
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
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Questions and Answers
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Question: My second question: Human Rights Watch issued a statement today, and it says that it has investigated the three Israeli raids during the aggression on Gaza in May and these three raids killed 62 civilians with no military targets around the area, which they qualify as war crimes. It also, in the same statement, called on the firing of rockets by the Palestinians as also war crimes, and they should be also investigated by ICC [International Criminal Court]. Do you subscribe to the crime … finding of the Human Rights Watch breach … breach?
Spokesman: Look, Human Rights Watch says what it says. I think if you look back to the period of the most recent conflict in Gaza, we were very clear in condemning any targeting or deaths of civilians.
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For information media. Not an official record.
Document Sources: Human Rights Watch, International Criminal Court (ICC), Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Global Communications, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Israel, Palestine (State of)
Subject: Armed conflict, Casualties, Gaza Strip, Human rights and international humanitarian law
Publication Date: 12/08/2021
URL source: https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/db210812.doc.htm