Amnesty International: ’Israel’ Committed War Crimes in Gaza

Local Editor

The "Israeli" military committed war crimes during its Gaza offensive this summer and must be investigated, human rights monitor Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

The destruction of four multi-story buildings during the last four days of the 50-day aggression were in breach of international humanitarian law, the group said in a report.

"All the evidence- we have- shows this large-scale destruction was carried out deliberately and with no military justification," said Philip Luther, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa program.

He further added: "War crimes must be independently and impartially investigated and those responsible should be brought to justice in fair trials."

Evidence including statements by the "Israeli" military at the time indicate the attacks were "a collective punishment against the people of Gaza" designed to destroy their livelihoods, Luther added.

There was no immediate reaction to the Amnesty statement from "Israeli" authorities.

However, Tel Aviv has refused to cooperate with a United Nations inquiry into possible war crimes during the conflict, accusing it of bias.

The "Israeli" army has launched a series of criminal investigations into incidents in the war, including the shelling of a UN school that medics said martyred at least 15 people and the bombing of a beach where four children died.

More than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were martyred in the recent "Israeli" aggression against the seized Gaza strip.

One of the landmark buildings destroyed was the Municipal Commercial Centre in Rafah, which contained a shopping mall, a medical clinic and offices, and provided livelihoods for hundreds of families, the Amnesty International report said.
Scores of people from nearby buildings were injured, and hundreds lost their homes, according to the rights group.

The rights group said it had sent its findings about the air strikes to "Israeli" authorities with questions about why each attack was carried out, but had not received an adequate response.

The report called for Amnesty International and other rights groups to be allowed access to Gaza and for the UN inquiry to be allowed "to conduct its investigation without hindrance".

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team