From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
UN rights officials mum on Hamas use of captive Israeli civilian for propaganda
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
The UN Human Rights Council remains mum after the Hamas terror group released a video yesterday of captive Israeli Avera Mengistu for propaganda purposes.
The UNHRC and its special rapporteur tasked with investigating the conflict, Francesca Albanese, do not respond to Times of Israel requests for comment on the incident. The special rapporteur, who has a history of antisemitism, has publicly commented on Israeli evictions since the Hamas video was released.
UN officials regularly criticize Israel for its actions against Palestinians. Israel and the US accuse the world body in New York, and the UNHRC in Geneva, of bias against the Jewish state.
International law forbids taking civilians captive, and bars using any prisoners for propaganda purposes.
Mengistu has been held in Gaza for eight years after he entered the Strip of his own volition. His family says he suffers from mental health issues.
Hamas is also holding captive Israeli Hisham al-Sayed and has also released footage of him in captivity. The terror group refers to both as soldiers despite neither of them having served in the Israeli military or security services.
The terror group is also holding the remains of soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin.
