UN rights chief backs Gaza inquiry

The UN's top human rights official is backing calls for an inquiry into the Gaza protests, saying there's little evidence Israel tried to minimise casualties.

The UN's top human rights official says there's "little evidence" that Israel made an effort to minimise casualties during protests by Palestinians earlier this week and is backing calls for an inquiry.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein spoke on Friday to a special session of the UN Human Rights Council called following a deadly crackdown on protesters in Gaza by Israeli forces.

Israeli troops firing into Gaza killed nearly 60 Palestinians at mass border protests on Monday.

The session will consider a resolution calling for an "independent, international commission of inquiry."

Zeid said protesters' "actions alone do not appear to constitute the imminent threat to life or deadly injury which could justify the use of lethal force."

Israel and the United States have repeatedly accused the council of anti-Israel bias.


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Source: AAP


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UN rights chief backs Gaza inquiry | SBS News