Massive destruction of Gaza housing a war crime: UN expert

An independent UN expert has condemned Israel's widespread destruction of housing and civilian infrastructure in Gaza as a war crime.

A month of Israeli strikes on targets within the Gaza Strip have destroyed or damaged 45 percent of all housing units in the Palestinian territory, Balakrishnan Rajagopal said, warning the destruction comes at a “tremendous cost to human life”. Israel launched its massive bombardment campaign in the Gaza Strip after Hamas militants staged an unprecedented attack on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and taking more than 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Rajagopal, an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations, had previously coined the term “domicide” to refer to the systematic and widespread attacks on civilian housing and infrastructure that cause death and suffering.Around 1.5 million people have been displaced in Gaza amid the destruction and Israeli calls to evacuate the entire north of the territory, according to UN figures.

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