Israeli strikes on Gaza towers may amount to war crimes, HRW says
During the 11-day conflict with Hamas, Israeli airstrikes destroyed five high-rise towers in Gaza City that the Israeli military said were used by the militants.
Israeli airstrikes that targeted high-rise buildings in the Gaza Strip violated the laws of war and may constitute war crimes, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday.
Between May 11-15, strikes hit the Hanadi, al-Jawhara, al-Shorouk and al-Jalaa towers in Gaza City’s densely populated neighborhood of al-Rimal. The Israeli military issued warnings beforehand, giving each of the buildings’ tenants time to evacuate.
There were no casualties from the air raids, but the bombing flattened three of the towers and severely damaged the fourth, which is slated to be demolished. The buildings housed a number of local and international media outlets, including the newsrooms of Al Jazeera and The Associated Press.
“The apparently unlawful Israeli strikes on four high-rise towers in Gaza City caused serious, lasting harm for countless Palestinians who lived, worked, shopped, or benefitted from businesses based there,” said Richard Weir, a crisis and conflict researcher at HRW.
