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Israel destruction of Gaza was wanton, Amnesty warns
Ed Harris02.07.09
Israel inflicted “wanton destruction” during its offensive in the Gaza Strip, Amnesty International said today.
The attacks in December and January often targeted Palestinian civilians in the Hamas-run enclave, said the human rights group.
Its report on the 22 days of fighting, also criticised Islamist movement Hamas for rocket attacks on Israel, which it called “war crimes”.
Amnesty said it found no evidence to support Israeli claims that Gaza fighters deliberately used civilians as “human shields”, but it cited evidence that Israeli troops put children and other civilians in harm's way by forcing them to remain in homes taken over by soldiers.
It said 1,400 Palestinians were killed in Israel's Operation Cast Lead, including 300 children and hundreds of innocent civilians.
“Much of the destruction was wanton and deliberate, and was carried out in a manner and circumstances which indicated that it could not be justified on grounds of military necessity,”
Amnesty said.
