GENEVA, June 11. /TASS/. Both Israel’s operation for the release of hostages in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which claimed hundreds of lives, and Palestinian groups’ hostage-holding in densely populated areas can be seen as war crimes, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence said.

"We are profoundly shocked at the impact on civilians of the Israeli forces’ operation in An Nuseirat at the weekend to secure the release of four hostages," he told a briefing. "Hundreds of Palestinians, many of them civilians, were reportedly killed and injured. The manner in which the raid was conducted in such a densely populated area seriously calls into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution - as set out under the laws of war - were respected by the Israeli forces."

"Our Office is also deeply distressed that Palestinian armed groups continue to hold many hostages, most of them civilians, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law," he went on to say. "Furthermore, by holding hostages in such densely populated areas, the armed groups doing so are putting the lives of Palestinian civilians, as well as the hostages themselves, at added risk from the hostilities."

"All these actions, by both parties, may amount to war crimes," the spokesperson stressed.

According to Laurence, High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 2735 calling for a "full and complete ceasefire" and the release of hostages. "An immediate priority must be to ensure the full and unfettered flow of humanitarian aid to the desperate population of Gaza," the spokesperson said, adding that the High Commissioner calls on all parties and third countries, "in particular those with influence over the parties to the conflict, to also maximize efforts to work towards the goal whereby Israelis and Palestinians can fully enjoy all human rights and live side by side, in peace."

On Saturday, the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Israeli troops staged an operation near Nuseirat and successfully released four Israeli hostages, captured on October 7, 2023, in a military operation near a Palestinian refugee camp in Nuseirat. The names of the people are Noa Agramani (25), Almog Meir (21), Shlomi Ziv (40) and Andrey Kozlov (27), who also has a Russian passport. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 274 Palestinians were killed as a result of Israel’s operation.