Israeli international law scholars call for probe Into Gaza war crimes

Nir Hasson reports in Haaretz on 15 September 2026:

A group of 14 international law scholars from various Israeli academic institutions, including experts in the laws of war, on Tuesday called for an “independent probe” into suspected violations of international law and war crimes during the Gaza war, including the conduct of senior officials and policymakers.

The statement published by the legal scholars said that they had approached the relevant Israeli authorities numerous times during the war over possible violations, including incitement to destruction of infrastructure without military necessity, disproportionate harm to civilians and the obstruction or delay of humanitarian aid.

The statement also addressed the IDF’s response to the documentary “NAZA,” in which the military dismissed allegations raised in the film as unfounded. The scholars said that, like IDF officers, they had not seen the film, but argued that irrespective of it, the allegations raised throughout the war required an independent and effective investigation into the conduct of the war under international law.

Such an investigation, they said, should examine the conduct of senior officials and policymakers, alongside criminal investigations into specific incidents where necessary. They argued that this was the appropriate response under both Israeli and international law.

The scholars added that blanket dismissal of allegations of violations without a professional and objective investigation into the relevant policies and how they were implemented – as well as attempts to intimidate those raising such allegations – was incompatible with respect for the rule of law.

Also on Tuesday, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said that the recovery of hundreds of bodies from the rubble of buildings ‌destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza has raised grave concerns about possible ⁠war crimes.  According to Volker, the remains of what appeared to be entire families were ⁠being unearthed from sites destroyed during Israeli attacks, adding that many victims were women and children.

“It is heartbreaking that the loved ones of those missing for so long are only now having their worst fears confirmed,” he said.  He added that the discoveries revived concerns raised in a 2024 UN report that found Israeli strikes on residential buildings and other civilian sites ‌during the early weeks of the war may have violated international humanitarian law.

The Palestinian Civil Defence says more than 630 bodies and human remains have been recovered from beneath destroyed buildings across Gaza since November 2025.

Turk said he feared the ⁠remains recovered so far could be “only the tip of the iceberg”, noting that large parts of Gaza had been flattened by Israeli bombing or later demolition and clearance operations.  He also accused Israel of continuing to level some areas of Gaza ‌where its forces remain deployed, saying bulldozers were operating “with no ⁠respect for the dead under the rubble”.

The UN rights chief called for international investigators to be granted access to all parts of Gaza to help preserve evidence, citing ongoing legal proceedings examining conduct during the war.

Israel has blocked the entry of heavy machinery needed to remove rubble, according to Turk’s statement.

Francesca Albanese, the UN expert on the Palestinian territories, has said evidence ‌should be gathered and human remains identified before full clearance starts.

This month, the Palestinian Civil Defence said 96 bodies and human remains had been recovered from a single site in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City, including 58 children ⁠and 23 women.

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