by Ray Cook

Created on: February 19, 2009

Isn't it strange how no-one ever asks 'Did Hamas commit war crimes in Gaza?' because it is so clear that not only did they do so, but boast about it.

1. Under international law the firing of munitions indiscriminately into civilian areas is a crime. Hamas fired over 6000 rockets since Israel withdrew from Gaza in order deliberately to target civilians ( a crime) and in particular children (by timing their rockets to coincide with kids going to school)

2. The use of non-combatants as human shields is a war crime: Hamas dug extensive tunnels linking several buildings through which they could move in order to be able to fire at IDF troops from buildings and people's living-rooms, often without the consent of the occupants.

3. The use of protected buildings is a war come: Hamas used schools, mosques, hospitals and media centers to fire weaponry at Israeli troops.

4. Stockpiling of weapons in these premises.

Let's look at what Israel did.

1. Leafleting of areas it is about to attack warning civilians to evacuate. Hamas' response: herd civilians into those areas or prevent them from leaving to maximise civilian casualties

2. Phoning - yes, phoning, people (an estimated 150,000 calls) to residents of Gaza telling them of imminent attack.

3. Use of precision weapons to take out targets. Many of these attacks caused secondary explosions because of Hamas' reckless placing of explosives and munitions in the middle of heavily built-up areas.

Accusations:

Israel targeted schools. The most famous incident where Israel was said to have fired on a school and killed about 40 people as reported by UNWRA head John Ging was later withdrawn and the the shells were said to have fallen nearby killing several bystanders. I believe the latest estimate is 9 Hamas combatants and 3 civilians. Meanwhile Hamas have been filmed firing rockets and mortars from within school compounds and other protected building.

Israel caused unnecessary devastation. It may appear that way and perhaps there is some truth in this but if the enemy is fighting from inside houses, has booby-trapped them all and is using these buildings as instruments of war then Israel is justified in destroying those positions.

Israel caused the deaths of hundreds of children. All we hear is 1300 Palestinians killed, 13 Israelis. The IDF has compiled a list of about 900 known fatalities. About two thirds of these were known combatants. The rest have to be considered non-combatants. This would mean that about 400 civilians died and about

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