Gaza: Inquiry recommendations must be implemented

Update 4 January 2010

Israel and Hamas have less than one month to show the UN that they are willing and able to conduct full and impartial investigations into alleged war crimes committed during the 2009 conflict. Read more

Update 27 December 2009

One year on and victims of the Gaza and Southern Israel conflict still await justice. We call on all parties to pursue accountability and end impunity for war crimes. To mark this anniversary we have again called on all parties to meet their obligations to pursue accountability for war crimes and serious human rights violations that occurred during the conflict. Read Amnesty's statement | Find out more about Gaza, one year on

Update  6 November 2009

The UN has voted to adopt key recommendations of the Goldstone report on the conflict in Gaza and southern Israel earlier this year. This is vitally important for ensuring that those, on both sides, who committed war crimes and other violations of international law will now be held to account.

• Find out more
• Take action

Update 30 October 2009

On 16 October 2009 the UN Human Rights Council recommended that the UN General Assembly consider the Goldstone report, and also endorsed its recommendations. Read Amnesty's open letter to members of the UN General Assembly (Word)

Update 16 October 2009

The UN Human Rights Council has adopted the resolution endorsing the UN-commissioned Goldstone report with 25 in favour, 11 abstentions and 6 against. Find out more

Update 5 October 2009

Amnesty International is dismayed that, by deciding to defer a vote on the Goldstone report until March 2010, the Human Rights Council, which the UK Government is an active member of, has failed to take immediate steps to implement the report's recommendations.

• Read the UN's full report
• Read Amnesty's report

UNITED NATIONS BOARD OF INQUIRY

On 22 April, the UN Board of Inquiry submitted to the UN Secretary-General its report on attacks that caused injury or death of UN personnel and damage to UN facilities in Gaza during Israeli military operations there. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented a summary of the report to the UN Security Council. Read the documents (PDF).

A key recommendation of the report is that incidents involving killings of civilians, and other allegations of violations of international humanitarian law on both sides during the conflict, should be subject to an adequately resourced and fully mandated impartial inquiry. Amnesty International strongly endorses the recommendation.

The Secretary-General stated that he did 'not plan any further inquiry', contradicting his earlier statements on accountability and the recommendation of the Board that a broader investigation be established.