Israeli war on Gaza violated rules of war: Israeli rights group
An Israeli human rights group says Israel has violated the rules of war in its latest aggression on the Gaza Strip, saying the majority of the Palestinians killed were women, children and elderly individuals.
B'Tselem said Wednesday that an investigation of only 70 Israeli strikes on Gaza last summer showed that more than 70 percent of the 606 Palestinians killed in those strikes were either minors, women or older men.
The rights group called the Israeli attacks on residential buildings “one of the appalling hallmarks of the fighting,” saying the strikes were part of a policy approved by senior Israeli officials.
“There is no question in our minds that this is not the outcome of a low-level decision, but rather a matter of policy, a policy that in some cases has violated international humanitarian law, in other cases raises severe questions about legality of the policy,” said the Israeli group’s director, Hagai El-Ad.
In addition, the rights group said Israeli officials have failed to provide any explanations on the issue so far. Israeli officials refused requests for comments, referring the group to the Israeli military, which also had no immediate response to the findings.
Israel unleashed attacks on Gaza in early July 2014 and later expanded its military campaign with a ground invasion into the Palestinian territory. The war ended in late August that year.
Over 2,130 Palestinians lost their lives and some 11,000 were injured. Gaza Health officials say the victims included 578 children and nearly 260 women.
About 1,500 buildings and structures were also demolished during the Israeli offensive.
According to Israeli sources, more than 70 Israelis were also killed. Palestinian resistance groups, however, put this number at more than 150.
The Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli siege since 2007. The blockade, which has cut off the territory from the outside world, has led to an economic and humanitarian crisis in the densely-populated enclave.
CAH/HJL/HRB
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