Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject Human Rights Watch report on conduct of war
Palestinian resistance factions dispute charge of "indiscriminate attacks" on Israeli civilians.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report issued Aug. 12 angered the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, as it accused them of carrying out “indiscriminate attacks” that killed both Palestinian and Israeli civilians. The report described the indiscriminate firing of rockets as a war crime.
HRW analyzed the attacks of Gaza’s armed factions in the 11-day war in May, during which they fired rockets, killing 12 Israeli civilians and injuring dozens. Meanwhile, 62 Palestinian civilians were killed as a result of three Israeli raids, according to a HRW report issued July 27.
The latest HRW report was based on the testimony of a Palestinian family in the Jabaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, who said that the rockets of the armed factions in Gaza mistakenly killed seven people there on May 10. The report was also based on a field inspection of the location where the rockets fell.
Hamas issued a statement Aug. 12 in response to the report, saying, “The resistance is keen on developing its capabilities so that it can accurately target Israeli military headquarters and activities only.”
