'Guardian investigation uncovers evidence
of alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza'
• Watch all three documentaries
Clancy Chassay and Julian Borger
The Guardian
The Guardian has compiled detailed evidence of alleged war
crimes committed by Israel during the 23-day offensive in
the Gaza Strip earlier this year, involving the use of
Palestinian children as human shields and the targeting of
medics and hospitals.
A month-long investigation also obtained evidence of
civilians being hit by fire from unmanned drone aircraft
said to be so accurate that their operators can tell the
colour of the clothes worn by a target.
The testimonies form the basis of three Guardian films
which add weight to calls this week for a full inquiry into
the events surrounding Operation Cast Lead, which was aimed
at Hamas but left about 1,400 Palestinians dead, including
more than 300 children.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) refused to respond
directly to the allegations made against its troops, but
issued statements denying the charges and insisted
international law had been observed.
The latest disclosures follow soldiers' evidence published
in the Israeli press about the killing of Palestinian
civilians and complaints by soldiers involved in the
military operation that the rules of engagement were too
lax.
Amnesty International has said Hamas should be investigated
for executing at least two dozen Palestinian men in an
apparent bout of score-settling with rivals and alleged
collaborators while Operation Cast Lead was under way.
Human rights groups say the vast majority of offences were
committed by Israel, and that the Gaza offensive was a
disproportionate response to Hamas rocket attacks. Since
2002, there have been 21 Israeli deaths by Hamas rockets
fired from Gaza, and during Operation Cast Lead there were
three Israeli civilian deaths, six Israeli soldiers killed
by Palestinian fire and four killed by friendly fire.
"Only an investigation mandated by the UN security council
can ensure Israel's co-operation, and it's the only body
that can secure some kind of prosecution," said Amnesty's
Donatella Rovera, who spent two weeks in Gaza investigating
war crime allegations. "Without a proper investigation
there is no deterrent. The message remains the same: 'It's
OK to do these things, there won't be any real
consequences'."
Some of the most dramatic testimony gathered by the
Guardian came from three teenage brothers in the al-Attar
family. They describe how they were taken from home at
gunpoint, made to kneel in front of Israeli tanks to deter
Hamas fighters from firing, and sent by Israeli soldiers
into Palestinian houses to clear them. "They would make us
go first so if any fighters shot at them the bullets would
hit us, not them," 14-year-old Al'a al-Attar said.
Medics and ambulance drivers said they were targeted when
they tried to tend to the wounded; sixteen were killed.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than half
of Gaza's 27 hospitals and 44 clinics were damaged by
Israeli bombs. Link to this video
In a report released today, a medical human rights group
said there was "certainty" that Israel violated
international humanitarian law during the war, with attacks
on medics, damage to medical buildings, indiscriminate
attacks on civilians and delays in medical treatment for
the injured.
"We have noticed a stark decline in IDF morals concerning
the Palestinian population of Gaza, which in reality
amounts to a contempt for Palestinian lives," said Dani
Filc, chairman of Physicians for Human Rights Israel. The
Guardian gathered testimony on missile attacks by Israeli
drones against clearly distinguishable civilian targets. In
one case a family of six was killed when a missile hit the
courtyard of their house. Israel has not admitted using
drones but experts say their optical equipment is good
enough to identify individual items of clothing worn by
targets. The Geneva convention makes it clear medical staff
and hospitals are not legitimate targets and forbids
involuntary human shields. Link to this video
The army responded to the claims. "The IDF operated in
accordance with rules of war and did the utmost to minimise
harm to civilians uninvolved in combat. The IDF's use of
weapons conforms to international law," it said. The IDF
said an investigation was under way into allegations
hospitals were targeted. It said Israeli soldiers were
under orders to avoid harming medics, but: "However, in
light of the difficult reality of warfare in the Gaza Strip
carried out in urban and densely populated areas, medics
who operate in the area take the risk upon themselves."
Use of human shields was outlawed by Israel's supreme court
in 2005 after a string of incidents. The IDF said only
Hamas used human shields by launching attacks from civilian
areas. An Israeli embassy spokesman said any claims were
suspect because of Hamas pressure on witnesses. "Anyone who
understands the realities of Gaza will know these people
are not free to speak the truth. Those that wish to speak
out cannot for fear of beatings, torture or execution at
the hands of Hamas," the spokesman said in a written
statement.
However, the accounts gathered by the Guardian are
supported by the findings of human rights organisations and
soldiers' testimony published in the Israeli press.
An IDF squad leader is quoted in the daily newspaper
Ha'aretz as saying his soldiers interpreted the rules to
mean "we should kill everyone there [in the centre of
Gaza]. Everyone there is a terrorist."
• This article was updated on Tuesday March 24 2009 to
reflect changes made for the first edition of the Guardian
newspaper.
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