BICOM

Hamas’s actions during last summer’s conflict with Israel constituted war crimes, according to a report published by Amnesty International today. The report includes evidence supporting the conclusion that that the death of 13 Gazan civilians, including 11 children, at the Al-Shafi refugee camp on 28 July was caused by a misfired Hamas rocket. Israel asserted this at the time based on information from its radar systems, but Hamas claimed an Israeli airstrike had caused the deaths.

The report states that Hamas’s firing of inaccurate mortars and rockets, indiscriminately at Israeli population centres constituted a war crime, and says that despite the success of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system, some 224 projectiles scored hits in populated areas, of some 4,800 rockets and 1,700 mortars which were fired. Four Israeli civilians were killed, the youngest of whom was four-year-old Daniel Tragerman, hit by shrapnel from a mortar in his home on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. The report further criticised Hamas for firing its rockets in the vicinity of civilians, and storing rockets in civilian buildings.

The report also criticised Israel for failing to provide early warning and protection for Bedouin living in the Negev region of southern Israel, and reiterated its claims from earlier reports that some of Israel’s actions in the war also constituted war crimes. Amnesty plans further reports on both Israeli and Palestinian conduct during the conflict.