Amnesty Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Gaza

November 5, 2014

2 min read

International human rights organization Amnesty International accused Israel of committing war crimes during the recent 50-day war with Hamas.

According to a report released by Amnesty on Wednesday, Israel is accused of displaying a “callous indifference” while carrying out attacks in Gaza. The organization claimed that Israel purposely targeted civilian homes, leading to the deaths of more than 2,100 Palestinians.

“Israeli forces killed scores of Palestinian civilians in attacks targeting houses full of families, which in some cases have amounted to war crimes,” the report stated.

Amnesty said it had documented eight cases in which Israeli forces attacked homes in Gaza “without warning” that led to the deaths of “at least 104 civilians including 62 children.”

“The report reveals a pattern of frequent Israeli attacks using large aerial bombs to level civilian homes, sometimes killing entire families,” the group stated.

While Amnesty did give Israel credit for targeting some possible military targets, the report charged that “the destruction to civilian lives…was clearly disproportionate.”

The report did not take into account the status of those killed – whether terrorist or civilian – in reporting the casualty rate in Gaza. According to a detailed study released by the Meir Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (IRIC), 49 percent of those killed during the war were linked to terrorist organizations, while 51 percent were confirmed civilian casualties.

 

Philip Luther, Amnesty’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, said that Israel showed a “shocking disregard for the lives of Palestinians civilians.” He accused Israel of giving “no warning” of incoming military attacks, thereby allowing Palestinians to flee for safety.

The report made small mention of the war crimes committed by Hamas and other terror organizations in Gaza. The report stated that “Palestinian armed groups also committed war crimes, firing thousands of indiscriminate rockets into Israel killing six civilians including one child.”

Terrorists in Gaza preparing missiles to fire towards Israel. (Photo: IDF)
Terrorists in Gaza preparing missiles to fire towards Israel. (Photo: IDF)

The report called on Israel and the Palestinians to “accede to the Rome Statute and grant the ICC (International Criminal Court) the authority to investigate crimes committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Israel has rejected the report’s findings, saying that Amnesty provided “no evidence” to back up its claims. Israel accused the report of being “a propaganda tool for Hamas.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated that Amnesty was effectively ignoring “documented war crimes perpetuated by Hamas, including the use of human shields, as well as ammunition storage and firing at Israeli civilian population centers from within schools, hospitals, mosques and civilian neighborhoods in Gaza.”

During the war, Israel says the military was as careful as possible to avoid civilian casualties. Those civilians who did die were provided fair and repeated warning of incoming attacks. Terrorists in Gaza fired rockets from within civilian areas in order to inflate the number of those killed during the conflict.

Israel did admit that there were cases of wrongdoing during the war. Currently, the military is investigating some “90 incidents.”

Share this article

Donate today to support Israel’s needy

$10

$25

$50

$100

$250

CUSTOM AMOUNT

Subscribe

Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak. Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. See how the latest updates in Jerusalem and the world are connected to the prophecies we read in the Bible. .