GAZA CITY, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES (AFP) – Amnesty International said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes on Gaza last month could amount to a “war crime”.
Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza traded heavy fire in the May 9 to 13 flare-up that claimed 35 lives, including civilians and combattants.
The London-based human rights group charged that Israeli strikes carried out “without military necessity” amount to “a form of collective punishment against the civilian population”. Amnesty said Israel “conducted apparently disproportionate air strikes which killed and injured Palestinian civilians, including children”, and said that “intentionally launching disproportionate attacks… is a war crime”.
The Israeli army responded that it began its operation on May 9 “in response to repeated rocket attacks against Israel”.
It told AFP that Israeli forces “carried out attacks only after a real-time assessment before the attack that the expected collateral damage to civilians and civilian property will not be excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated”.
The army accused extremists militants of locating its “operational centres in civilian residential buildings” and of using civilians “as a human shield”.
It added that it “made numerous efforts” to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza, such as by delaying and even cancelling planned attacks, and by phoning to ensure buildings were evacuated “several hours prior to strikes”.
According to the Israeli army, more than 1,230 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel from May 10 to 13 before a ceasefire came into effect.
“Israel’s impunity for the war crimes it repeatedly commits against Palestinians, and for its cruel ongoing 16-year illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, emboldens further violations and makes injustice chronic,” said Middle East and North Africa Regional Director at Amnesty International Heba Morayef.
– Amnesty International said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes on Gaza last month could amount to a “war crime”.
Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza traded heavy fire in the May 9 to 13 flare-up that claimed 35 lives, including civilians and combattants.
The London-based human rights group charged that Israeli strikes carried out “without military necessity” amount to “a form of collective punishment against the civilian population”. Amnesty said Israel “conducted apparently disproportionate air strikes which killed and injured Palestinian civilians, including children”, and said that “intentionally launching disproportionate attacks… is a war crime”.
The Israeli army responded that it began its operation on May 9 “in response to repeated rocket attacks against Israel”.
It told AFP that Israeli forces “carried out attacks only after a real-time assessment before the attack that the expected collateral damage to civilians and civilian property will not be excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated”.
The army accused extremists militants of locating its “operational centres in civilian residential buildings” and of using civilians “as a human shield”.
It added that it “made numerous efforts” to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza, such as by delaying and even cancelling planned attacks, and by phoning to ensure buildings were evacuated “several hours prior to strikes”.
According to the Israeli army, more than 1,230 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel from May 10 to 13 before a ceasefire came into effect.
“Israel’s impunity for the war crimes it repeatedly commits against Palestinians, and for its cruel ongoing 16-year illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, emboldens further violations and makes injustice chronic,” said Middle East and North Africa Regional Director at Amnesty International Heba Morayef.
