### Israel Condemns UN's Claims of War Crimes in Gaza

Israel has vehemently criticized a UN investigation that examined the degradation of healthcare services and the handling of Palestinian detainees in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, prepared by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI), Israel has enacted a targeted strategy to dismantle Gaza's healthcare system. The report further alleges that Israel is engaging in war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically pointing to continuous and intentional assaults on medical staff and facilities.

In a strong rebuttal, Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva labelled the report as a deliberate effort by the CoI to undermine the legitimacy of Israel and obstruct its right to defend its citizens. The mission accused the CoI of ignoring substantial evidence that medical facilities in Gaza have been systematically exploited by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for terrorist purposes.

The Israeli mission further rejected charges of systemic maltreatment of Palestinian detainees, which the report classifies as war crimes and crimes against humanity. They emphasized Israel's adherence to international legal standards concerning the treatment of detainees, explicitly citing the prohibition of excessive force and ill-treatment. The mission accused the commission of fabricating an alternative reality, which exacerbates the conflict.

The statement from Israel's mission in Geneva also urged other states to denounce what it described as the commission's biased approach, warning that it jeopardizes the credibility of both the Human Rights Council and the United Nations as a whole.

Established by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021, the three-member commission is tasked with investigating alleged violations of international law in Israel and the Palestinian territories. This latest report is the second to be published since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.