On Wednesday, the human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" accused armed Palestinian factions in Gaza of committing hundreds of war crimes during their unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. Belkis Wille, the organization's assistant director, stated in a report presented at a press conference, "It is impossible for us to accurately determine the number of cases," noting that among these violations are "attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects, deliberate killings of detained individuals, cruel treatment and other forms of inhumane treatment, crimes involving sexual violence and gender-based violence, hostage-taking, mutilation and theft of remains, use of human shields, and looting."
The report quoted Hamas as responding to Human Rights Watch's inquiries, stating that the movement's fighters "were instructed not to target civilians and to adhere to international human rights law and international humanitarian law." However, Human Rights Watch refuted this response, asserting that its investigations in several cases found evidence to the contrary. The organization concluded in its report that "the attack was directed against the civilian population. The killing of civilians and hostage-taking were central objectives of the planned attack, and not merely an afterthought or a plan that deviated from its course or isolated actions." It emphasized that "the premeditated killing of civilians and hostage-taking are crimes against humanity."
