Is Israel and russia committing warcrimes.
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Executive summary
United Nations and major rights groups have documented credible allegations that both Israel and Russia have committed actions that may amount to war crimes or other international crimes: the UN Secretary‑General warned Israel and Russia “on notice” over patterns of conflict‑related sexual violence (Reuters) [1]. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UN bodies have described Israeli conduct in Gaza as involving acts that may amount to extermination or genocide and called for international accountability (Global Centre/Amnesty reporting) [2] [3].
1. What the U.N. formally said: “On notice” for sexual violence
In his annual report to the Security Council the U.N. Secretary‑General said he had “significant concerns” about patterns of certain forms of sexual violence by both Israeli and Russian armed and security forces and warned they could be listed among parties “credibly suspected” of committing such crimes if accountability is not demonstrated, citing documented incidents including genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and abusive strip searches (Reuters) [1].
2. Human‑rights organisations’ findings on Israel: genocide, extermination and calls for ICC action
Amnesty International and other organisations have published extensive research asserting that Israeli conduct in Gaza amounts to acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention and crimes against humanity, and they document war crimes by Hamas as well; Amnesty called for international justice and cited the ICC’s ongoing investigation and arrest warrants targeting senior Israeli officials (Amnesty/Global Centre reporting) [3] [2].
3. Reporting on Russia: detention abuses, sexual violence, summary executions
U.N. monitoring bodies and other organisations have reported a pattern of abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine, including torture of civilians and detainees, sexual violence and summary executions across detention sites in Ukraine and Russia; such abuses are explicitly described as amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity (Global Centre / HRMMU summary) [2].
4. Competing narratives and state responses
Israel’s U.N. ambassador rejected the sexual‑violence concerns as “baseless,” insisting attention should focus on crimes by Hamas and on hostage release (Reuters) [1]. The Russian mission did not immediately respond to the U.N. report, and U.N. officials said Russia had not engaged with their special envoy (Reuters) [1]. Amnesty and other NGOs present findings that directly contradict state denials and call for international judicial mechanisms [3] [2].
5. Accountability mechanisms: ICC, ICJ and limitations
Amnesty highlights the centrality of ICC investigations and arrest warrants — noting the court has already issued warrants against Israeli leaders — as key to justice [3]. The U.N. report’s “on notice” designation signals possible future listing for credible suspicion of sexual‑violence patterns but is not itself a finding of criminal responsibility; available sources do not mention specific convictions arising from these allegations in the provided reporting [1] [3].
6. Independent media and monitoring: deaths of journalists and contested investigations
Human rights and press‑freedom groups say journalists have been killed in these theatres and that states have not reliably investigated such incidents. The Committee to Protect Journalists and Amnesty urged U.S. and international engagement after what they describe as failures to pursue accountability for journalists killed or wounded in Israeli operations; Israeli authorities have given differing statements about investigations (CPJ reporting) [4].
7. Why allegations matter: patterns, intent, and thresholds
International law distinguishes individual unlawful acts from crimes like war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide, which require proof of patterns and, for genocide, specific intent. The U.N. and rights groups report patterns of sexual violence, indiscriminate and targeted attacks on civilians, and allegations of intent to destroy—all elements that elevate concern and that drive calls for international judicial scrutiny [1] [2] [3].
8. What the public and policymakers should watch next
Watch for whether states cooperate with U.N. special envoys, whether investigators secure access to sites and witnesses, and whether the ICC or domestic courts open indictments or prosecutions beyond the existing warrants referenced by Amnesty [3]. Also monitor state responses to U.N. “on notice” warnings and whether Russia or Israel provide credible, transparent accountability information to U.N. mechanisms [1].
Limitations: reporting in the supplied sources documents allegations, warnings, NGO conclusions and ICC action but does not contain final criminal convictions; where reporting is silent on a point I note that available sources do not mention it [1] [3] [2].