'Strong evidence' of Israel war crimes on 'Black Friday': AI
Published :Thursday, 30 July, 2015, Time : 12:00 AM View Count : 8
JERUSALEM, July 29 : An analysis of an Israeli assault in the Gaza Strip following the capture of one of its soldiers during last year's war in the Palestinian territory shows "strong evidence" of war crimes, Amnesty International (AI) said on Wednesday. The London-based rights group called for those responsible for the alleged offences to be prosecuted as it published a detailed analysis of the Israeli military operation using eyewitness accounts, satellite imagery, photos and videos. "There is strong evidence that Israeli forces committed war crimes in their relentless and massive bombardment of residential areas of Rafah in order to foil the capture of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, displaying a shocking disregard for civilian lives," Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International, said in a statement. "They carried out a series of disproportionate or otherwise indiscriminate attacks, which they have completely failed to investigate independently." The incidents addressed in the report centred on August 1, 2014, which has become known as "Black Friday," when Goldin was captured shortly after a ceasefire was announced. He was later declared dead. ?AFP