2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead

The Assault
Facts & Figures
Evidence of War Crimes
2012 - Operation Pillar of Cloud
2014 - Operation Protective Edge
Children Killed & Injured By Israels Latest
Assault
Children Traumatized
Destruction of Civilian Infrastructure
Statements by Major Human Rights Organizations

9. Assaults on Gaza

Palestinians in Gaza inspect an unexploded missile launched by Israel during Operation Protective Edge.

9.1

2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead

On December 27, 2008, Israel launched Operation Cast Lead, a massive, 22-day military assault
on the Gaza Strip. The ferocity of the attack was unprecedented in the more than six-decade-old
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, killing some 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians.
In the aftermath of the offensive, a UN-appointed fact finding mission found strong evidence
of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both the Israeli military and Palestinian
militias. 1 Investigations by human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch came to the same conclusion.

9.1.1 The Assault

Six months before Cast Lead, Israel negotiated a ceasefire with Hamas and other Palestinian
armed groups in Gaza. Under the agreement, which went into effect on June 19, 2008, both sides
agreed to stop hostilities across the Green Line, the de facto border between Israel and the Gaza
Strip.
Despite a number of violations by both sides, the truce was largely successful.
Hamas negotiators claim that Israel agreed to end its closure of Gazas border crossings as
part of the ceasefire agreement, however Israeli officials dispute this. While Israel did resume
operations at one border crossing, the overall policy of closure did not change. Two months after
the truce began, the UN reported that the number of goods allowed into Gaza actually decreased.
Nevertheless, overall, a situation of relative quiet prevailed in and around Gaza until November 4, when Israeli soldiers staged a raid into the Strip, killing six members of Hamas. The
attack, which took place on the eve of the US presidential elections, ended the ceasefire and led
1 See

the report: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/factfindingmission.htm

Chapter 9. Assaults on Gaza

40

to an escalation of hostilities culminating in Cast Lead the following month.

Cast Lead proceeded in two phases: a week of intense aerial bombing followed by two weeks
of a joint air and land assault and invasion. The surprise attack began at 11:30 a.m. on December
27, 2008, with Israeli F-16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, and unmanned drones striking more
than 100 locations across the tiny, crowded Gaza Strip within a matter of minutes.
Among the targets were four Palestinian police stations, including the central police headquarters in Gaza City, where a graduation ceremony for new officers was underway. Ninety-nine
police personnel and 9 members of the public were killed in the first minutes of the attack. By
the end of the first day at least 230 Palestinians had been killed.
The massive bombardment continued until January 3, 2009, when the Israeli army invaded
the Strip from the north and east. Israels navy also shelled Gaza from offshore.
On January 18, 2009, under enormous international pressure and just two days before Barack
Obama was sworn in as President of the United States, Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire and
withdrew its forces from Gaza. Palestinian armed groups followed with a separate unilateral
ceasefire.

9.1.2 Facts & Figures

According to investigations by independent Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations, between 1,385 and 1,419 Palestinians were killed during Cast Lead, a majority of
them civilians, including at least 308 minors under the age of 18. More than 5000 more
were wounded. Thirteen Israelis were also killed, including 3 civilians. (See below for a
more detailed breakdown of casualties)
According to the UN, 3,540 housing units were completely destroyed, with another 2,870
sustaining severe damage.
More than 20,000 people - many of them already refugees, some two or three times over were made homeless. 2
Attacks on Gazas electricity infrastructure caused an estimated $10 million in damage,
according to the Israeli advocacy group Gisha.
268 private businesses were destroyed, and another 432 damaged, at an estimated cost of
more than $139 million, according to an assessment by the Private Sector Coordination
Council, a Palestinian economic group. A separate report found that 324 factories and
workshops were damaged during the war.
According to the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides services to Palestinian refugees, the offensive damaged almost 20,000 meters (approx. 12 miles) of water
pipes, four water reservoirs, 11 wells, and sewage networks and pumping stations. Israeli
shelling also damaged 107 UNRWA installations.
Eighteen schools, including 8 kindergartens, were destroyed, and at least 262 others
damaged. Numerous Palestinian government buildings, including police stations, the
headquarters of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and part of Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas compound, were also destroyed.
After an investigation of the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, Human Rights
Watch accused the Israeli military of violating the international ban on "wanton destruction" found in the Fourth Geneva Convention.
2 See:

http://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/20091227_a_year_to_castlead_operation

9.1 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead

41

9.1.3 Evidence of War Crimes

In April 2009, following international outrage at the carnage caused by Cast Lead, the UN
Human Rights Council established a Fact Finding Mission to investigate possible violations
of international law committed during the conflict. Leading the mission was Justice Richard
Goldstone, a former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and war crimes prosecutor
for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
The four members of the mission visited Gaza in late May and early June 2009, holding
hearings there and in Geneva. They conducted 188 interviews and reviewed more than 10,000
pages of documents, more than 30 videos, and 1,200 photographs.
Israel refused to cooperate with the inquiry, denying the mission the opportunity to meet
with Israeli officials or visit the West Bank.
As a result of its investigation, the mission issued the so-called "Goldstone Report," a 575page document detailing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the
Israeli military. The report also accused Palestinian armed groups of war crimes as a result of
indiscriminate rockets attacks on Israeli civilians living near Gaza.
The Goldstone Report documented 36 specific cases and incidents where Israeli forces
allegedly violated international laws during the Gaza offensive. These include:
Samouni family massacre: In perhaps the most infamous incident of the war, Israeli
soldiers ordered around 100 members of the Samouni family into a single building in the
Zaytoun area of Gaza City. Soldiers held the family in the building for 24 hours before
shelling the building on January 4, 2009. Twenty-one members of the family, all civilians,
were killed. 3
Al-Daya family massacre: On January 6, an Israeli F-16 jet fired a missile at the home
of the Al-Daya family, also in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, killing 22 family
members, most of them women and children. 4
White flag killings: The UN mission and human rights groups also documented several
cases in which witnesses saw Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians who were fleeing while
carrying makeshift white flags to indicate their status as civilians. In one case, a soldier
shot and killed two women, Majda and Rayya Hajjaj (aged 37 and 65 respectively) who
were fleeing with their families while carrying a white flag in the town of Johr Ad-Dik.
In August 2012, in a plea deal with prosecutors, a solider was sentenced to just 45 days
in prison for their deaths. To date hes the only person to face serious charges stemming
from Cast Lead. 5
Use of white phosphorus in populated areas: Rights groups, journalists, and the UN
mission in Gaza also documented numerous instances of the use of white phosphorus, an
incendiary substance that is illegal when used in populated areas. Israeli forces used white
phosphorus in attacks on at least two hospitals (Al-Quds Hospital and Al-Wafa Hospital),
as well as the central UN compound in Gaza City. Numerous civilian casualties were
caused by white phosphorus in the small, densely populated Strip. 6
3 See:

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/family-who-lost-29-members-in-gaza-war-we-envy-the-dead1.5943
4 See: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/israel-occupied-palestinian-territories/report-2010
5 See: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/ioptwf0809webwcover_1.pdf
6 See: http://www.hrw.org/features/rain-fire-white-phosphorus-gaza

Chapter 9. Assaults on Gaza

42

In addition to the Goldstone Report, human rights groups such as Amnesty International and
Human Rights Watch issued reports of their own documenting numerous allegations of war
crimes being committed by Israeli forces. 7

9.2

2012 - Operation Pillar of Cloud

In November of 2012, Israel broke a ceasefire with Hamas, returning the area to its largest
conflict since Operation Cast Lead. As documented by the New York Times, the assault began
when Israel assassinated the leader of Hamas military wing, Ahmed Jabari, who had been
in charge of negotiating cease-fires with Israel. By the end of the operation, 160 Palestinians
had died, 105 of whom were civilians, and 30 of whom were children. 971 Palestinians were
wounded. 6 Israelis (4 civilian) were killed during the fighting. Israel has repeatedly violated the
November 21 ceasefire that ended the conflict, killing and injuring several Gazans. 8
Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing possible war crimes through the knowing
targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. One example of this is the shelling of the
Al-Dalu family home, which resulted in the deaths of 10 family members. Human Rights Watch
condemned the attack as an example of Israel blatantly targeting civilians. Other accusations of
potential war crimes surround the known targeting of Palestinian media and journalists.

9.3

2014 - Operation Protective Edge

The last moments of Gazan children who had been playing soccer on the beach near Shaati refugee camp. This
image shows them running from Israeli shelling moments before they were killed.

According to the United Nations, between July 7 and August 26, at least 2131 Palestinians
were killed in Gaza as a result of Israels Operation Protective Edge.9 According to both the
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, 2168
Palestinians were killed.10
7 See

the IMEU Factsheet on Cast Lead: http://imeu.net/news/article0021968.shtml

a timeline: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/how-israel-shattered-gaza-truce-leadingescalating-death-and-tragedy-timeline
9 See the UNs report: http://bit.ly/1qhkyT4
10 See: http://bit.ly/UcfwtE and http://bit.ly/X5SJku
8 See

9.3 2014 - Operation Protective Edge

43

According to the UN, at least 1473 of the dead were civilians, including 501 children and 257
women, with another 379 individuals yet to be identified. According to PCHR, 1662 civilians
were killed, including 519 children and 297 women, while Al Mezan reported that 1666 of the
dead were civilians, including 521 children and 297 women.
According to the UN, at least 142 Palestinian families lost three or more members killed in a
single Israeli attack, for a total of 739 fatalities (see here for more), and up to 1500 children were
orphaned.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 11,100 Palestinians were wounded, including 3374 children, 2088 women, and 410 elderly people. The UN estimates that 1000 of the
injured children will suffer a lifelong disability.
During the same period, 71 Israelis were killed by Palestinians, including 66 soldiers and
four civilians, as well as one foreign worker from Thailand.
In its August 21 daily Gaza emergency update, the UN noted:
Human rights organizations have expressed serious concerns regarding incidents
where civilians or civilian objects have been directly hit by Israeli airstrikes, in
circumstances where there was allegedly no rocket fire or armed group activity in
the close vicinity. Such cases raise concerns about the targeting of civilians, in
violation of the principle of distinction.
Of particular concern is the alarming number of incidents since the onset of the
emergency in which multiple members of the same family have been killed.
9.3.1 Children Killed & Injured By Israels Latest Assault
According to the United Nations, between July 7 and August 25 the Israeli military killed at least
495 Palestinian children in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. The Al Mezan Center for
Human Rights puts the number at 518, while the Palestinian Center for Human Rights puts it
at 519. All three figures exceed the number of Palestinian children killed in the last two major
Israeli assaults on Gaza combined, approximately 350 during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-9
and 35 in November 2012. The number of children killed also exceeds the total number of
Israelis, civilians and soldiers, killed by Palestinians in the last decade.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, between July 7 and August 20, 3106 Palestinian children were injured by the Israeli military in Gaza.
Of the more than 3100 children wounded, the UN estimates that 1000 of them will suffer
a permanent disability as a result of their injury. Thousands of unexploded bombs and shells
pose a danger to civilians returning to areas they fled from during the fighting, putting children
at particular risk.
9.3.2 Children Traumatized
The UN estimates that 373,000 children require direct and specialized psychosocial support
(PSS), while all of Gazas approximately 900,000 children have been affected by the war and
need some level of psychosocial support. On July 28, UNICEF released a statement entitled No

44

Chapter 9. Assaults on Gaza

safe place for children in Gaza.11 In it, the head of the organizations Gaza field office, Pernille
Ironside, declared: The physical and psychological toll that the violence is having on people is
almost indescribable. . . We see children killed, injured, mutilated and burnt, in addition to being
terrified to their core.
Symptoms of trauma being evidenced by children include wetting of the bed, clinging to
parents, and nightmares.
At least one Palestinian minor, a 16-year-old boy (now 17) named Ahmad Abu Raida, was
held hostage for five days by invading Israeli soldiers and used as a human shield during their
search for tunnels near his home near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to an investigation carried out by Defence for Children International - Palestine.
Most children six and older in Gaza have lived through three major Israeli military assaults
during their short lifetimes: the first in the winter of 2008-9, and the second in November 2012.
9.3.3 Destruction of Civilian Infrastructure

Term papers litter the area around the bombed Islamic University of Gaza. This paper is from an assignment to
"Explain the image of women in T.S. Eliots work." Photo by Refaat Alareer.

Israeli attacks caused widespread damage to Gazas already frail and dilapidated electrical
grid, run down and in disrepair after seven years of siege and blockade. Most notably, on July 29
Israel bombed Gazas only power plant,12 knocking it out of commission indefinitely, prompting
Amnesty International to condemn the attack as an act of "collective punishment against the
entire population.13 (Israel previously bombed the plant during assaults in 2006 and 2008-09.)14
According to the UN, even following repairs to what remains of the electrical grid, most areas of
Gaza continue to endure up to 18 hours of electrical outages a day.15
Israels destruction of Gazas power plant caused the shutdown of water treatment plants,
while Israeli tank fire put Gazas largest sewage treatment plant out of commission.16 Other
Israeli attacks did extensive damage to Gazas water and sewage systems, also already in critical
11 See

uni.cf/1poy855
http://bit.ly/1uEWOM1
13 See: http://bit.ly/1uEWOM1
14 See: http://bit.ly/1pE6qi7
15 See: http://bit.ly/1qhkyT4
16 See: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israelgaza-conflict-gazas-survivors-now-face-abattle-for-water-shelter-and-power-9650347.html
12 See:

9.3 2014 - Operation Protective Edge

45

condition due to the siege and previous Israeli assaults, leading to the release of raw sewage
into open pools, farmland, and the Mediterranean Sea, causing health concerns and affecting
fishermen. On August 5, Oxfam warned that Israeli attacks damaging wells, pipelines, and
reservoirs had caused the contamination of fresh water supplies, already heavily contaminated
before the assault, and that 15,000 tons of solid waste had leaked into the streets of Gaza.
According to the September 4 UN Gaza crisis report, 450,000 people were unable to access
municipal water systems due to infrastructure damage and/or low water pressure and on average,
20% to 30% of Gazas water and wastewater systems remain significantly damaged.
Israeli attacks damaged 24 hospitals17 and reportedly killed 16 medical workers.18 In
addition, according to the UN, 22 schools were destroyed and 118 damaged, and at least six
teachers killed. As a result of the ongoing violence, schools being damaged and destroyed, and
displaced people taking refuge in schools, nearly half a million children had the start of their
school year delayed, from August 24 to September 14. As the UN noted in its September 4 Gaza
crisis report:
The education sector was already overstretched prior to the crisis, suffering from
a shortage of almost 200 schools, with classes running in double shifts. . . When
schools open, children will face even more acute over-crowding and under-resourcing
as a result of the collateral damage suffered.
Additionally, with hundreds of thousands of children in need of psychosocial support
(PSS), teachers and educational staff (many of whom have also experienced acute
trauma) will be stretched to provide the appropriate support required to ease children
back in to school and to provide ongoing support throughout the school year.
9.3.4 Statements by Major Human Rights Organizations
The newsmedia and major human rights organizations have documented attacks on civilians,
civilian structures, hospitals, mosques, and schools. The United Nations has commissioned
an investigation similar to 2009s Goldstone Report which will investigate such incidents as
evidence of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, human rights monitors
have issued the following statements:
On July 21, Defence for Children International Palestine Section issued a statement
entitled Death toll of Palestinian children spirals as Israel expands Gaza offensive
which detailed several Israeli attacks that killed children, noting that: Israels military
offensive on the Gaza Strip has been characterized by the direct targeting of civilian homes
and infrastructure, and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, which constitutes a war
crime.19
Also on July 21, ten Israeli human rights organizations, including BTselem, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, The Public Committee against Torture in Israel, Physicians
for Human Rights Israel and Rabbis for Human Rights, expressed alarm at the high
rate of civilian casualties, which raises concerns about grave violations of international
humanitarian law. The accompanying press release noted:20
17 See:

http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-crisis-unimaginable-suffering
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=717447
19 See http://www.dci-palestine.org/documents/death-toll-palestinian-children-spirals-israel-expands-gaza-offensive
20 See: bit.ly/1rEHyKn
18 See:

Chapter 9. Assaults on Gaza

46

The organizations emphasize that sending alerts or providing warnings to residents does not transform them, or their homes, into legitimate military targets,
and does not exempt the army from its duty to avoid executing indiscriminate
attacks in the area. In the absence of a protected area for residents that provides
shelter and an answer to their humanitarian needs, military commanders can
not claim that they have taken sufficient precautions to avoid causing injury.
On July 21, Amnesty International USA issued a statement entitled Attacks on Medical
Facilities and Civilians Add to War Crime Allegations. 21 Documenting large scale
destruction of civilian areas such as the Shejaiya neighborhood, and the escalating number
of civilian casualties, Amnesty noted, Issuing warnings to evacuate entire areas does
not absolve Israeli forces of their obligations to protect civilians under international
humanitarian law. A Human Rights Watch statement that followed the next day found
that, In many, if not all, of these cases [that it investigated], Human Rights Watch found
no evidence of a military target. Israeli forces failure to direct attacks at a military target
violates the laws of war. Israeli forces may also have knowingly or recklessly attacked
people who were clearly civilians, such as young boys, and civilian structures, including a
hospital laws-of-war violations that are indicative of war crimes.22

United Nations Works and Relief Agency Director Chris Gunness breaks down during an interview about the
civilian casualties of Israels 2014 assault on Gaza

Degree of Civilian Suffering

On August 1, Oxfam released a statement entitled, Gaza crisis spiraling out of control, which
documented the degree of suffering in Gaza:
The crisis in Gaza is fast spiraling out of control with water supplies critically
low and a public health crisis imminent. . . The collapse of the latest brief ceasefire
announcement means many more lives will be at risk.
Conditions are increasingly desperate in overcrowded schools and buildings where
up to 450,000 people are sheltering. Many people are getting as little as three
litres of safe water a day, far below international emergency standards. Massive
destruction of water and sewage systems and electricity supplies has reduced water
21 See http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/israelgaza-attacks-on-medical-facilities-and-civilians-add-

to-war-crime-allegations-0
22 See http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/22/gaza-airstrike-deaths-raise-concerns-ground-offensive

9.3 2014 - Operation Protective Edge

47

supply to Gazas entire population of 1.8 million people. Spills of raw sewage
threaten to contaminate water sources and the threat of disease is rising. There are
already reports of 30 cases of meningitis, as well as skin diseases among children
and cases of gastroenteritis.
The destruction of Gazas only power plant earlier this week has plunged much
of Gaza into darkness and left vital water pumps struggling to keep going. Three
of Gazas four main power supplies have now been completely destroyed or extensively damaged by the violence of the past few weeks, cutting off more than 80
percent of Gazas power. Most municipal water supplies have now stopped running.
The outrageous level of destruction is much worse than anything we have seen in
previous military operations and the situation is getting worse by the hour. Tens of
thousands of families have fled but are trapped with nowhere safe to escape, sheltering in horrific conditions and terrified to move. The international communitys
response to such suffering has so far been shamefully weak. Every day that this
goes on is putting many more civilian lives at risk, said Nishant Pandey, head of
Oxfam in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.
Hospitals that Oxfam works with are struggling to cope. Six of the nine busiest
hospitals in Gaza have been directly hit or badly damaged, with three of them now
closed. Another four Oxfam-supported health clinics and many others have been
damaged or shut. Many health facilities are running short of fuel to keep life-saving
operations going.
Oxfam condemns the rockets that continue to be fired from Gaza towards Israel,
but this does not justify Israels outrageously disproportionate use of force which
has killed so many civilians and destroyed so much of Gaza. All civilians, whether
Palestinian or Israeli, have the right to live in security, but military operations that
bring such levels of death and destruction will not make anyone safer in the long
term, said Pandey.
Oxfam said the international community must do much more to ensure an urgent
and permanent ceasefire, but that lasting peace will only be possible with an end
to the ongoing blockade of Gaza. For the past seven years people in Gaza have
been living under an Israeli blockade which prevents the free flow of goods and
people in and out of Gaza, devastating the economy and severely restricting peoples
livelihoods.
Israeli Claims

Israeli government officials have claimed that they warned civilians sufficiently and that Palestinians were using civilians as human shields. These claims are directly contradicted by human
rights monitors. Amnesty International wrote on July 25th,
Israeli forces have carried out attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians, using
precision weaponry such as drone-fired missiles, as well as munitions such as artillery, which cannot be precisely targeted, on very densely populated residential

Chapter 9. Assaults on Gaza

48

areas, such as Shujaiyyeh. They have also directly attacked thousands of homes. Israel appears to consider the homes of people associated with Hamas to be legitimate
military targets, a stance that does not conform to international humanitarian law."
Although the Israeli authorities claim to be warning civilians in Gaza, a consistent
pattern has emerged that their actions do not constitute an effective warning under
international humanitarian law. Israeli attacks have also caused mass displacement
of Palestinian civilians within the Gaza Strip.
Effective advance warning to civilians is only one of the prescribed precautions in
attack aimed at minimizing harm to civilians. When Israeli forces have given warning in many cases key elements of effective warning have been missing, including
timeliness, informing civilians where it is safe to flee, and providing safe passage
and sufficient time to flee before an attack. There also have been reports of lethal
strikes launched too soon after a warning to spare civilians. In any event, issuing
a warning does not absolve an attacking force of its obligations to spare civilians,
including by taking all other necessary precautions to minimize civilian casualties
and damage to civilian structures. Israels continuing military blockade on the Gaza
Strip and the closure of the Rafah crossing by the Egyptian authorities since the
hostilities began mean that civilians in Gaza cannot flee to neighbouring countries.
Amnesty also disputed claims of human shields, stating, Amnesty International is monitoring and investigating such reports, but does not have evidence at this point that Palestinian
civilians have been intentionally used by Hamas or Palestinian armed groups during the current
hostilities to shield specific locations or military personnel or equipment from Israeli attacks.
International Criminal Court

Amnesty International responded to Operation Protective Edge by releasing a statement entitled,

International Criminal Court key to breaking cycle of injustice for war crimes, which read in
part:
The UN Security Council has repeatedly failed to take effective action to respond
to violations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories or hold perpetrators
accountable, in large part because of opposition from the USA, which has repeatedly
vetoed resolutions critical of Israel. On some occasions the USA has been the sole
voice against all other members of the Council.
Amnesty International is also calling on both the Palestinian and Israeli authorities
to support a Security Council referral, and take other measures that would allow the
ICC to step in and ensure their co-operation with the Court.
In particular, the organization calls on the Palestinian Authority to submit a declaration accepting the ICCs jurisdiction over crimes under international law committed
since 1 July 2002, when the Court was established. Amnesty International also calls
on the Palestinian Authority to become a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that
established the ICC.

9.3 2014 - Operation Protective Edge

49

The Palestinian Authority has been consistently pressured by the USA, Israel,
Canada, the UK and other EU Member States not to take steps to grant the ICC
jurisdiction; such pressure has included threats to withdraw financial assistance on
which the Palestinian Authority depends.
Human Rights Watch has joined Amnesty International in strongly recommending the
intervention of the International Criminal Court.
Arms Embargo

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both taken strong positions in favor of
ending military transfers to Israel and Gaza pending adherence to international law. Amnesty
Internationals July statement read in part, Amnesty International is also calling on the UN to
immediately impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed
groups with the aim of preventing further serious violations of international humanitarian law and
human rights by the parties to the conflict. Pending such an embargo, all states must immediately
suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions to the parties, which have
failed to properly investigate violations committed in previous conflicts or bring those responsible
to justice. 23
Human Rights Watch joined this call on August 11th. The Executive Director of its Middle
East Division, Sarah Leah Whitson, wrote to US State Department, urging it to help bring an
end to these [human rights] violations by:
Suspending the provision of weapons to Israel that have been documented or credibly
alleged to have been used in the commission of war crimes or other serious laws-ofwar violations, as well as funding and support for such materiel. Implementing human
rights vetting, as per the provisions of the Leahy Law, to include vetting of military
equipment allocated to Israel under the Foreign Military Financing account, to ensure
that no equipment reaches Israeli military units credibly alleged to have committed gross
violations of international human rights or humanitarian law and to sanction units that are
found to have committed such violations.
Contributing to the effectiveness of the fact-finding mission that the UN Human Rights
Council established on July 23 despite the sole US no vote by urging all parties
to cooperate with and provide access to the mission; by urging the mission to report on
laws-of-war violations by all parties to the conflict; and by supporting the mission as a
step toward holding all parties accountable.
Ending opposition to, and the encouragement of other governments to oppose, Palestinian
initiatives to enable the International Criminal Court (ICC) to exercise jurisdiction over
serious international crimes committed on and from Palestinian territory by all parties to
the conflict.
Calling on Israel and Egypt to end their unlawful blockade of Gaza and allow the passage
of civilian goods and people, with restrictions limited only to the import of military
equipment that has been used to violate the laws of war.24

23 See

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israelgaza-un-must-impose-arms-embargo-and-mandate-internationalinvestigation-civilian-death-t
24 See http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/08/11/human-rights-watch-letter-us-state-secretary