#bt'selem

  • Bombing family homes of activists in armed Palestinian groups violates international humanitarian law
    http://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20140709_bobming_of_houses_in_gaza

    #BT'selem rappelle un point du #droit_international que les #MSM « oublient » dès qu’il s’agit d’#Israël, et précise la nature exacte des avertissements (parfois imaginaires) « préalables » (tant vantés par les mêmes MSM) qu’Israël fournit à la population civile avant un bombardement de structures civiles.

    Bombing the homes of senior activists in armed groups violates international humanitarian law, which provides a narrow definition of what constitutes a legitimate target and permits aiming attacks only at targets that effectively assist military efforts, when damaging them can provide a military advantage. Treating these homes as legitimate targets is an unlawful, distorted interpretation of the concept, resulting in harm to civilians, whom this body of law is intended to protect.

    An IDF Spokesperson’s announcement from yesterday, after the first round of attacks, stated only that “among the targets attacked were four homes of activists in the Hamas terror organization who are involved in terrorist activity and direct and carry out high-trajectory fire towards Israel…”. In other words, the military itself acknowledged that the attacks were illegally aimed at homes that were not military targets. Only later was a new announcement made, in an attempt to retroactively adapt the described activity to the requirements of international law, stating that the targets were “the homes of senior activists that function as command and control headquarters” .

    In the case of the Kaware’a home, not only can the house not be considered a legitimate target, but civilians were on the premises at the time of the bombing. Although the military did warn the inhabitants of the impending attack and instruct them to leave, its duty does not end with giving prior warning: it must give the inhabitants enough time to leave and ensure that all civilians have indeed evacuated the spot. Given the military’s sophisticated surveillance equipment, those responsible for the bombing should have known that civilians went back into the building. According to a senior air force officer, the military did not have enough time to divert the missile once civilians were detected re-entering the building. This claim is unreasonable, as many people were already crowded around the house when the warning missile was fired, raising suspicion that not all necessary precautions were taken to prevent harm to civilians. The military must publish the footage of the attack taken by the unmanned aerial vehicle. B’Tselem has also received initial information regarding a home bombed in Beit Hanun as part of a targeted assassination: B’Tselem’s initial investigation indicates that on 8 July 2014, at approximately 11:40 P.M., the military bombed the home of Hafez Hamad, an activist in the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. According to the investigation, none of the inhabitants received prior warning from the military and the house was bombed mere moments after the family went to bed for the night. The bombing killed six persons, including a 16-year-old girl.

    #crimes_de_guerre #civils #victimes_civiles #Gaza #impunité #complicité