Israel has not been paying sufficient attention to protecting civilians while using precision-guided bombs during the Gaza war, the UN Human Rights Office reported on Wednesday.

“The requirement to select means and methods of warfare that avoid or at the very least minimize civilian harm appears to have been consistently violated in Israel’s bombing campaign,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in Geneva.

The office has investigated six Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip between October 9 and December 2.

It is assumed that bombs such as GBU-31, GBU-32, and GBU-39, capable of penetrating concrete and destroying several floors of a building, were used. These bombs targeted residential buildings, a school, a refugee camp, and a market, resulting in at least 218 deaths, according to the agency.

In an attack likely involving nine GBU-31 bombs on December 2, the destruction impacted an area with a diameter of 130 meters, destroying 15 residential buildings and damaging 14 others, the UN agency reported.

International humanitarian law states that civilian facilities must be spared as much as possible during attacks. If the presence of combatants is suspected, attacking forces must consider whether the potential damage outweighs the intended gains.

The report emphasizes that the presence of one or more terrorists or those involved in the October 7 massacres in Israel in a building does not make an entire neighborhood a legitimate target for an attack.

“Israel’s choices of methods and means of conducting hostilities in Gaza since October 7, including the extensive use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in densely populated areas, have failed to ensure effective distinction between civilians and fighters,” the report states. It also suggests that these actions could constitute crimes against humanity.

The report additionally criticizes armed Palestinian groups for firing projectiles at Israel that could harm civilians. The UN Office for Human Rights notes that military equipment or personnel should not be stationed in densely populated areas.

Israel regularly criticizes the UN Human Rights Office and Türk for not condemning Hamas crimes with the same intensity as it condemns Israel’s actions.