Human Rights Watch accuses Gaza groups of war crimes during May fighting
Hamas and other Palestinian groups purposefully targeted population centers during the May war with Israel, according to Human Rights Watch. The organization also accused Israel of war crimes last month.
A leading human rights watchdog Thursday accused Gaza-based groups of war crimes and killing civilians during the May war with Israel.
“Palestinian armed groups during the May fighting flagrantly violated the laws-of-war prohibition on indiscriminate attacks by launching thousands of unguided rockets towards Israeli cities,” said Eric Goldstein of Human Rights Watch on Thursday.
Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza, including Hamas, fought a war in May. The fighting was caused by tensions in Jerusalem and was accompanied by communal violence between Arabs and Jews in Israel. The Israeli military bombed Gaza and Palestinian groups fired rockets into Israel during the war. In Gaza, 256 people were killed, including an estimated 128 civilians. Twelve civilians died as a result of rocket fire into Israel, and one Israeli soldier was killed in an anti-tank missile attack.
The Palestinian military and political organization Hamas controls the Gaza Strip internally, and the enclave is subject to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Other armed groups also operate in Gaza, including the Islamic Jihad.
