Amnesty Accuses Palestinians Of War Crimes

Amnesty International has accused Palestinian armed groups of carrying out "war crimes" during last summer's 50-day conflict in Gaza.

The report entitled Unlawful And Deadly condemned militants, including the armed wing of Hamas, for using "inherently indiscriminate" rockets and mortars to "kill or injure civilians".

"In launching these attacks, they displayed a flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law and for the consequences of their violations on civilians in both Israel and the Gaza Strip," said Amnesty International’s Middle East Director Philip Luther.

"The devastating impact of Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians during the conflict is undeniable, but violations by one side in a conflict can never justify violations by their opponents", he added.

Citing UN data, the report claims 4,881 rockets and 1,753 mortars were fired towards Israel during the last conflict, with 243 intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system, and 31 landing inside Gaza.

A total of 224 rockets and mortars hit residential areas in Israel.

Six Israeli civilians, including a four-year-old child, and 67 soldiers were killed.

UN figures say more than 2,250 Palestinians were killed, of which 1,585 were civilians, including 538 children.

An Amnesty report published last November accused Israel’s military of displaying "callous indifference" to the need to avoid harm to civilians in Gaza .

But the latest publication claims Palestinian armed groups must also take some responsibility due to their decisions to operate in or near civilian areas.

"None of the violations by Palestinian armed groups absolved Israeli forces of their obligations under international humanitarian law," it said.

"Nevertheless, there is substantial evidence that some of the military operations and conduct of Palestinian armed groups endangered civilians in Gaza and violated their obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimise harm to civilians."

In its conclusions, the report calls on the Palestinian Authority to denounce and prevent attacks targeting civilians, to ensure munitions or rockets are not stored near civilian buildings and to work to construct public shelters inside the enclave.

Amnesty also urges the authority to "ensure internal Palestinian disputes" between Fatah and Hamas do not "further delay reconstruction" in Gaza.

There is growing anger in Gaza at the lack of progress on rebuilding, despite the billions of dollars in aid pledged by the international community.

The UN estimates 485,000 of Gaza’s 1.8 million population were displaced from their homes during the conflict.

Around 100,000 remain displaced, and 10,500 are still living in UN shelters.

The report also calls on Israel to allow human rights organisations and UN inspectors "unrestricted access" to Gaza; to rescind the punitive withholding of tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority, and to "completely lift" the blockade on Gaza, subject to "proportionate security checks".

It finally urges both sides cooperate with the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2014 Gaza conflict.

A Hamas spokesman dismissed the report as being inaccurate and containing "false allegations".

An Israeli government statement welcomed the report’s highlighting of "deliberate targeting of Israel’s civilian population", and claimed that, while Israel was "vigorously investigating its conduct, aiming to draw lessons", Hamas was preparing for further violence.