A report from the human rights watchdog has concluded that violence during the May Gaza conflict amounted to war crimes. The investigation focused on three Israeli airstrikes.
HRW says both the Israeli military and the Islamist group Hamas that rules the Gaza strip probably committed war crimes during their latest war
Image: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS
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Both the Israeli military and the Islamist group Hamas that rules the Gaza strip are suspected of having carried out war crimes, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Tuesday.
"Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups carried out attacks during the May 2021 fighting in the Gaza Strip and Israel that violated the laws of war and apparently amount to war crimes," the rights group said.
The 11-day conflict left at least 254 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. The violence broke out following the violent response from Israeli forces towards Palestinians protesting the eviction of families in east Jerusalem.
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What were the details of the HRW report?
The HRW report focused on three cases of Israeli airstrikes while noting that the "indiscriminate" rocket attacks — over 4,000 — by Palestinian militants into Israel would be the subject of a later report.
The Israeli attacks included a strike in Beit Hanoun on May 10, one on the Al-Shati refugee camp on May 15, and a series of strikes on Gaza City on May 16, while adding that "other Israeli attacks during the conflict were also likely unlawful."
These three attacks "killed 62 Palestinian civilians where there were no evident military targets in the vicinity," the report stated.
The series of strikes on the Al-Wahda central street in Gaza City destroyed three apartment buildings and killed a total of 44 people, including 18 children. Half of the victims were from one family, HRW said.
In pictures: Israel-Gaza conflict intensifies with rockets, airstrikes
Rockets in Tel Aviv, destruction in the Gaza Strip — the situation between Israelis and Palestinians has been escalating for nearly a week. On both sides, people are suffering.
Image: Nir Alon/ZUMA Wire/picture alliance
Seeking new shelter
Residents sought shelter as airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued. One airstrike Sunday killed 33 people. Israeli authorities say the attacks target Hamas officials and that the humanitarian tragedy is the result of party leaders' mixing with the civilian population. Gaza's Health Ministry reports 181 deaths, including 52 children; 10 people have been killed in Israel.
Image: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/imago images
Press building destroyed
The IDF warned media such as the AP and Al Jazeera before destroying the 12-story building that housed their offices and several apartments, saying Hamas operated there. "We have called on the Israeli government to put forward the evidence," AP CEO Gary Pruitt said. "AP’s bureau has been in this building for 15 years. We have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building."
Image: Hatem Moussa/AP/picture alliance
Retaliatory strikes
On Thursday, Israeli fighter planes bombed the southern Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, the attacks targeted facilities that housed members of the Hamas organization.
Image: Uncredited/AFP
Destruction in Gaza City
This building, destroyed on Wednesday, was one of the first to fall when the IDF's strikes on the alleged offices of militant groups or their leaders began.
Image: Suhaib Salem/REUTERS
Locals flee for safety
Residents of Gaza evacuated their homes on Tuesday, early in the conflict, which has only spiraled since.
Image: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Rockets over Tel Aviv
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, began firing rockets into Israel earlier in the conflict. Israel's missile defense system has protected Tel Aviv and other areas — destroying projectiles in the air or diverting them so they cause as little damage as possible.
Image: AnAs Baba/AFP/Getty Images
Anxious waiting
But the Iron Dome missile defense system does not offer 100% protection. When the sirens go off, Israelis know that they have to find safety in shelters as quickly as possible. Even if it's 3 a.m.
Image: Gideon Marcowicz/AFP/Getty Images
Finding cover
People who fail to make it to shelters in time try to take cover as best they can, like these people in Ashkelon, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
Image: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
More danger
Even if rockets can be repelled, falling debris is also dangerous. Here, a house in Yehud, just north of Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, has been destroyed. The Israeli army has claimed that more than 1,000 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza since Monday.
Image: Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images
Stones and tear gas
In recent days, there have been many clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli security forces in several cities, including here in Hebron, in the West Bank, which is occupied by Israel. Demonstrators threw stones and other projectiles.
Image: Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images
Taking position
Security forces have used stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets against Arab Israelis protesting forced evictions in east Jerusalem.
Image: Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images
Israel mobilizes reservists
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has been amassing combat troops and tanks on the border with the Gaza Strip, recalling the conflicts in 2008/2009 and 2014.
Image: Amir Cohen/REUTERS
How long will it last?
It doesn't look as if either side will de-escalate the tension any time soon. Some Palestinians in Gaza City have taken refuge at the UN compound for fear of further airstrikes.
Image: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
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International investigations into the Gaza conflict
The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said in March that it was launching an investigation into the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. It will focus on the 2014 war in Gaza but will also investigate the treatment of Palestinian protesters from 2018.
"Israeli authorities' consistent unwillingness to seriously investigate alleged war crimes, as well as Palestinian forces' rocket attacks toward Israeli population centers, underscores the importance of the International Criminal Court's inquiry," HRW associated director Gerry Simpson said.
The UN Human Rights Council has also opened an investigation into violations during the May conflict.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) responded to a letter from HRW, saying that it was investigating instances to see whether "rules had been breached." But it also defended its actions, saying "where possible … [the IDF] provided civilians located within military targets with prior warning."
