"israeli" soldiers shot dead 11 unarmed Palestinian civilians, claims report
13/08/2009
A new report alleges that "israeli" soldiers shot dead 11 unarmed Palestinian civilians carrying white flags during "israel"'s offensive in Gaza earlier this year – yet "israel" has still failed to adequately investigate the killings, as required under international law.
The 11deaths - including those of five women and four children - took place in seven separate incidents across Gaza in circumstances where, it is claimed, the victims were displaying white flags to indicate their status as non-combatants.
The incidents are alleged to have taken place in areas controlled by the "israeli" Defence Forces (IDF) , where there was no fighting or Palestinian fighters nearby.
The New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch, which published White Flag Deaths: Killings of Palestinian Civilians during Operation Cast Lead said it informed the "israeli" military of the cases in February. But the cases were not examined in an IDF internal investigation into the conduct of its forces, which concluded that IDF forces "operated in accordance with international law."
The group says at least three witnesses confirmed the details in each of the seven separate shootings.
Included among the cases is one first reported in detail by the Observer, in the rural village of Khuza'a close to the fence surrounding Gaza. Rawiya al-Najjar, 47, was shot dead, and her relative Jasmin al-Najjar, 23, was wounded while the two women were attempting to escape an attack on the village that included the use of white phosphorus munitions and the bulldozing of houses.
Three other incidents all occurred around the northern Gaza village of al-Atatra, which had previously seen heavy fighting between "israeli" soldiers and Hamas fighters. By the time of the shootings, however, the fighting had stopped, and in each case the civilians were visible, unarmed, and displaying white flags, the report says.
In one case, the civilians were walking in a group on an open street. In another, they were driving slowly on tractors and in cars, trying to leave the area with the wounded, according to the report.
"We were driving the tractor and on the way we saw tanks and soldiers," said Omar Abu Halima, 18. "When we saw them [the "israeli" soldiers] they ordered us to stop. After we stopped they fired at us. They killed my cousin Mattar. My cousin Muhammad was wounded and later died."
In another case – also in al-Atatra – two women holding white flags stepped out of a house that the IDF was demolishing to tell the soldiers that civilians were inside. "We opened the door and a sniper fired at us from a house," said Zakiya al-Qanu, 55. "Ibtisam was hit and I turned to go back inside and another bullet grazed my back. Ibtisam died in the doorway."
Responding to the claims, the "israeli" military said its soldiers were obliged to avoid harming anyone waving a white flag but added that in some cases Hamas militants had used civilians with white flags for cover. It added that the reports were based on "unreliable witnesses".Human Rights Watch said it could find no evidence of the misuse of white flags or the use of civilians as human shields in any of the killings detailed.
"These casualties comprise a small fraction of the Palestinian civilians wounded and killed," the report says. "But they stand out because, in each case, the victims were standing, walking or in slowly moving vehicles with other unarmed civilians, and were trying to convey their non-combatant status by waving a white flag."
Along with the use of white phosphorus on heavily populated civilian areas, the shooting of unarmed civilians has become the most controversial issue of January's war. The report follows the publication last month of anonymous testimonies by over two dozen soldiers who fought in Gaza, compiled by Breaking the Silence, an organisation of former "israeli" servicemen, which accused the IDF of an atmosphere of permissive violence against civilians.
The allegations of white flag deaths first emerged during the conflict, collected by both human rights groups and the media and have yet to be adequately responded to.
Under the Geneva conventions, combatants are obliged to distinguish between soldiers and civilians (as well as fighters who are hors de combat) and also have a legal obligation to protect civilians. They are also required to investigate any alleged war crimes committed by their own troops.
Last month, the "israeli" government released its own report defending its use of force in Gaza. The report said that "israel" was investigating five alleged cases in which soldiers killed civilians carrying white flags, incidents that it said resulted in 10 deaths. Two of the cases – the incident in Khuza'a and one in eastern Jabaliya – are among them.
www.guardian.co.uk
