THE United Nations today demanded an inquiry into possible war crimes by Israeli forces in Gaza.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) office, based in the West Bank City of Ramallah, said they have received “disturbing information alleging that Israeli Defence Forces summarily killed at least 11 unarmed Palestinian men” in front of their family members.

This comes as the UN security council was set to take its delayed vote on a resolution for a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach the besieged people of Gaza.

The UN said that the alleged killing of the men in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City earlier this week “raises alarm about the possible commission of a war crime.”

Troops allegedly ordered women and children into a room and “either shot at them or threw a grenade into the room,” which seriously injured some of them, including an infant and a child.

Israeli authorities slammed the accusation as “nothing but blood libel.”

Members of the UN security council were scrambling to persuade the United States to agree to the wording of a new resolution to avoid sparking another veto by the US.

The US is insisting on removing references to a cessation of hostilities in the war and to putting the UN in charge of inspecting aid trucks.

Israel reportedly opposes a role for the UN in inspecting the aid lorries. 

The US vetoed a security council resolution on December 8, backed by almost all other council members, demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Britain abstained. 

The 193-member general assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on December 12 by a vote of 153-10, with 23 abstentions showing the opposition to the indiscriminate assault being carried out by the Israelis and the success of the worldwide pro-Palestinian movement.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said during a briefing with ambassadors on Tuesday that Israel is “ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.”

Security council resolutions are important because they are legally binding, but in practice many parties choose to ignore its decisions.

Regardless of the votes, Israel has pledged to continue the assault on the Palestinians until it has destroyed Hamas.

Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. 

Around 1,200 people were killed and about 240 prisoners of war taken during the Hamas attack on Israel of October 7.