Amnesty International report: Unguided mortar & rocket attacks by Palestinian groups during Operation Protective Edge were violations under int’l law.
• Report also corroborates IDF reports of Palestinian groups storing munitions in civilian buildings and UN schools.
A rocket is fired from Gaza City toward Israel, August 2014 – Photo: AP
Palestinian groups, including the armed wing of Hamas, launched unguided rockets and mortars which cannot be aimed at a specific target and are a breach of international law, the human rights group said.
Six civilians in Israel were killed in such attacks, and 13 Palestinian civilians were killed when a Palestinian projectile launched from the Gaza Strip apparently landed in a Gaza refugee camp.
Palestinians have claimed that the Israeli military was responsible for that attack, but Amnesty International said an independent munitions expert examining the evidence on the group’s behalf concluded that a Palestinian rocket was responsible.
The report also alleged other international humanitarian law violations during the conflict, including Palestinian groups storing munitions in civilian buildings and United Nations schools, and launching attacks near locations where hundreds of displaced civilians were taking shelter.
Philip Luther of Amnesty International called on both Israeli and Palestinian authorities to cooperate with U.N. and International Criminal Court probes “to end decades of impunity that have perpetuated a cycle of violations in which civilians on both sides have paid a heavy price.”
Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=24415
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