UN expert visits Israeli kibbutzim attacked by Hamas

19/12/2024 6:10

The United

Nations' senior expert on torture visited the Israeli kibbutz

communities attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, for the first time on

Wednesday to offer support to families of Israelis abducted by

Hamas fighters to the Gaza Strip.



Alice Jill Edwards, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture

and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment,

spoke to Reuters as talks gained momentum in Egypt and Qatar on

a ceasefire deal and a release of hostages and Palestinians

detained by Israel.



"I'm very hopeful for a deal. I've been calling for a long

time for the immediate and unconditional release of the

hostages. This is an unlawful act under international law. It's

an atrocity. It's a war crime," she said in an interview.



"I am hopeful that the families will be able to see their

loved ones as soon as possible and that there will be peace

restored in this region."



Hamas fighters killed some 1,200 people and seized more than

250 hostages, of whom 100 remain captive, Israel says. Israeli

troops have since killed some 45,000 Palestinians in an assault

on Gaza, say health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave.



On her visit Edwards described the scene as both eerie and

uneasy, a mix of flowers and greenery amid broken windows and

shattered glass, the result of fire bombings that October day 14

months ago.



Edwards said she had written to the Palestinian Authority

about independent and verifiable reports of sexual torture and

violence that occurred on Oct. 7. She said she would also speak

to Israeli authorities about credible allegations of torture and

mistreatment of Palestinians in Israeli detention.



"It is very important that when you have two communities

that are suffering and live so close together, that we recognize

the suffering of each. They are different. They are of different

scale. They will be different individually," she said.



"But, you know, everybody counts and every life counts and

we should preserve that. And that is the essence of human

rights. It's not about, you know, picking sides. The side is of

human rights and the people's right to live in safety, peace and

security."



Edwards said her goal was to document what happened in

Israel and to let the hostages and their families know there are

people who are fighting for the captives' safe return, whether

they are alive or may have been killed or perished.



Yuval Haran, 38, whose father was killed and whose seven

relatives were abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri, stood outside the

rubble of his parents' home.



"This isn't about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it isn't

about politics or right or left, it isn't about war, it's about

human beings and we need to remember these are human beings that

for almost 440 days are being held," he said.



"We don't care about revenge. You know, my father was

murdered here, but I don't want revenge for my father ... I want

all the hostages back. I want that we have a quiet and peaceful

life. This is what I pray for."



Israel has been critical of the U.N. response to the Oct. 7

attacks. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said late last

year that sexual violence committed on Oct. 7 must be vigorously

investigated and prosecuted.



Edwards said: "All of the crimes that have been committed in

these last 13, 14 months need independent and impartial

investigations."