A criminal inquiry was ordered today into reports from Israeli soldiers that troops killed Palestinian civilians, including children, in Gaza.

The Israeli government will investigate claims by its forces that some soldiers were too quick to open fire on civilians, confident that relaxed rules of engagement would protect them.

The accounts, published in a military institute's newsletter, support Palestinian allegations and human rights groups' claims that Israel violated the laws of war. The soldiers also reported the destruction of civilian property.

The troops spoke at a meeting with students at a military preparation institute and a transcript of the session appeared in its newsletter.

The head of the course, Danny Zamir, told Haaretz newspaper he was “shocked” and informed military chief Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi.

According to one report, an Israeli sniper killed
a Palestinian woman and her two children after they misunderstood an order and turned the wrong way. In another, an elderly woman was shot dead while walking on a road, even though she was 100 yards from soldiers.

Defence minister Ehud Barak said Israel “has the most ethical army in the world” and that the reports would be “checked carefully”.

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