The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has warned that several of the recent bombings and operations carried out by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, in which dozens of Palestinians have died, could be considered war crimes. At the same time, it has expressed concern over the increase in attacks against police agents and infrastructure in the enclave.
According to the United Nations agency, between August 13 and 19, at least 22 Palestinians lost their lives in Israeli military actions in Gaza, including women and minors. Only between the days 18 and 19, at least 17 fatalities were recorded.
Among the victims are a 13-year-old minor and his father, who died in an attack on a café located on the coast, as well as a girl of the same age who lost her life during the bombing of a police facility in the city of Gaza.
"These incidents are a stark reminder that, despite the occasional decrease in the number of reported attacks, civilians across Gaza remain exposed to persistent, unpredictable lethal harm," the UN office has stated.
In this context, the United Nations has emphasized that International Humanitarian Law prohibits deliberate attacks against civilians, as well as those that are indiscriminate or disproportionate. According to the organization, such conduct may amount to war crimes and other serious violations.
Attacks against Gazan Police
The Human Rights Office has also drawn attention to what it describes as an "alarming" pattern of attacks against members and infrastructure of the Police in Gaza. The agency has documented at least 18 Israeli offensives against police personnel between January and August 2026, which would have resulted in the deaths of at least 77 Palestinians, including 57 agents, six minors, and four women.
One of the most recent attacks occurred on August 19 against the headquarters of the Municipal Police in the city of Gaza. According to the United Nations, at least nine Palestinians died in this action —eight police officers and a 13-year-old girl— in a densely populated area where numerous internally displaced persons were present.
In this regard, the international body has recalled that, according to International Humanitarian Law, police agents are considered civilians and enjoy protection against attacks as long as they do not participate directly in hostilities.
The office has also warned that the destruction of police stations and police structures accelerates the deterioration of security mechanisms and the protection of the population in a territory already severely affected by the humanitarian emergency.
"It is difficult to find a 'military necessity' in the continuous attacks by Israel in a devastated territory, which continue to cause the death and mutilation of civilians, including children and police," declared Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in Palestine.
"The right to life is a fundamental right for all. But it seems that in Gaza there is no longer respect for human rights, as death, injuries, and destruction occur day after day," he added.
The United Nations has framed these events within a pattern of attacks in densely populated civilian areas that it has been documenting since October 2023. Among the places affected in the recent episodes are a café, a tent used by displaced persons, a civilian vehicle, and a police station surrounded by displaced families.
Albanese accuses Israel of genocide
In parallel, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has condemned the most recent attacks in the West Bank and has intensified her criticism against Israeli forces, which she has accused of committing genocide against the Palestinian population.
"The most immoral army is perpetrating genocide while those in power, as so often in history, refuse to see the victims or to recognize their rights to life and self-determination," Albanese wrote in a post shared on social media.
"Eighty years after World War II, in the era of human rights built after that war, this is even more abominable," she added.
His message was accompanied by an image linked to the death of Fathi Khazem, a Palestinian who reportedly died from gunfire from Israeli forces during an operation at his home in Jenin, in northern West Bank, after resisting an attempt at arrest, according to information from the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
According to this version, the military initially prevented an ambulance from reaching Khazem, who would have remained bleeding before the soldiers removed his body.