Amnesty accuses Israel of war crimes

Palestinians gather around the remains of a commercial center, which witnesses said was hit by an Israeli air strike, in Rafah, 2014. Photo: Reuters

Air strikes on landmark buildings at the tail end of the Israeli military’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in August 2014 were a deliberate and direct attack on civilian buildings and amount to war crimes.
Amnesty International said this in a press release published today.
“Nothing is immune,” Israel’s destruction of landmark buildings in Gaza provides evidence that attacks on four multi-storey buildings during the last four days of the conflict were in contravention of international humanitarian law and calls for them to be independently and impartially investigated.

“All the evidence we have shows this large-scale destruction was carried out deliberately and with no military justification,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
“Both the facts on the ground and statements made by Israeli military spokespeople at the time indicate that the attacks were a collective punishment against the people of Gaza and were designed to destroy their already precarious livelihoods.”
While the Israeli military warned the residents of the buildings to leave before they destroyed them, scores of people from nearby buildings were injured and hundreds of people were devastated to lose their homes, businesses and belongings.   
In all four cases, panicked residents hurried to evacuate the buildings and in most cases, were unable to salvage their belongings, including important documents, jewellery and savings.
Amnesty International sent its findings about the air strikes to the Israeli authorities and asked for explanations on why each of the attacks was carried out; what or who was being targeted; what precautions were taken to minimize the risk of harm to civilians; and whether any investigation had taken place or was ongoing.
Amnesty International is calling for the Commission of Inquiry set up the United Nations to be allowed to conduct its investigation without hindrance and for the Israeli authorities to lift their block on Amnesty International and other human rights organizations entering Gaza.
“War crimes must be independently and impartially investigated and those responsible should be brought to justice in fair trials. Those whose homes and livelihoods have been unlawfully destroyed deserve justice and full reparation,” said Philip Luther.