Amnesty condemns possible 'war crimes' in Gaza conflict

Amnesty International said Tuesday that Israeli strikes on Gaza last month could amount to a "war crime", and Palestinian militant groups should be investigated on the same charge for their rocket fire.

Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, including Islamic Jihad, traded heavy fire in the May 9-13 flare-up that claimed 35 lives, including civilians and combatants.

The London-based human rights group charged that Israeli strikes carried out "without military necessity" amount to "a form of collective punishment against the civilian population".

It also accused Palestinian militant groups of "indiscriminate" rocket fire aimed at Israel that "should also be investigated as war crimes".

Amnesty said Israel "conducted apparently disproportionate air strikes which killed and injured Palestinian civilians, including children," and said that "intentionally launching disproportionate attacks... is a war crime".

The Israeli army responded that it began its operation on May 9 "in response to repeated rocket attacks against Israel".

It told AFP that Israeli forces "carried out attacks only after a real-time assessment before the attack that the expected collateral damage to civilians and civilian property will not be excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated".

The army accused Islamic Jihad of locating its "operational centres in civilian residential buildings" and of using civilians "as a human shield".

It added that it "made numerous efforts" to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza, such as by delaying and even cancelling planned attacks, and by phoning to ensure buildings were evacuated "several hours prior to strikes".

Israel and militant groups in Gaza have fought several wars since the Islamist movement Hamas seized control of the coastal enclave in 2007.

According to the Israeli army, more than 1,230 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel from May 10-13 before a ceasefire came into effect.

"Israel's impunity for the war crimes it repeatedly commits against Palestinians, and for its cruel ongoing 16-year illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, emboldens further violations and makes injustice chronic," said Heba Morayef, Middle East and North Africa Regional Director at Amnesty International.

A spokesperson for Palestinian Islamic Jihad -- considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union -- said the group "welcomes" the report.

"We are doing our part to defend ourselves against the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people," it added in a statement.

Following the ceasefire, the United Nations said Israeli strikes had displaced more than 950 people, completely destroyed more than 100 houses and seriously damaged 140 others.

Around 2.3 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip which has been under a crippling Israeli-led blockade since Hamas rose to power.