Israel is preventing UN investigators from speaking to witnesses and victims of the October 7 Hamas attack.

“So far as the government of Israel is concerned, we have faced not merely a lack of cooperation but active obstruction of our efforts to receive evidence from Israeli witnesses and victims to the events that occurred in southern Israel,” said Chris Sidoti, one of the three members of the inquiry.

Sidoti, speaking via videolink, said the investigation found it difficult to collect evidence from large numbers of witnesses. “I use this opportunity to appeal again both to the government of Israel to cooperate, and to victims and witnesses to the events in southern Israel to contact the commission of inquiry so that we can hear what they have experienced.”

Sidoti also said investigators began collecting digital evidence early on October 7, some of which has since “disappeared from the internet”.

“If it had not been collected on that day, it would not have been able to be collected,” the former human rights commissioner of Australia said.