Israeli NGO demanding inquiry into the conduct of the army in Ghaza

- Eight Israeli of Human Rights organisatons asked Tuesday the Attorney General of the State to initiate an investigation into the conduct of the army during the war in Ghaza.

•     These organizations have addressed this request to the Attorney Menachem Mazouz, also legal adviser to the Israeli government, ‘given the extent of damage caused to civilians during Operation « hardened Lead »’.
  
     ‘We call on the government's legal adviser to act now to the establishment of an independent investigative expertise that can not be questioned,’ the NGO wrote in a statement.
  
      According to this communiqué, the NGOs remind of the numbers « horrific » deaths among children and women which indicates « that the rules of war seem to have been severely violated by the Israeli army, which forced Israel to immediately independent investigation. »
  
      The NGOs cite in their reported figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health that during the deadly Israeli offensive, more than 1,300 people were killed, including 410 children and hundreds of women, for a total of over 5300 injured, 1855 children and 795 women.
  
      The signatories of this petition include B'Tselem, the main Israeli human rights defense in the occupied territories, Physicians for Human Rights, Yesh Din, the Public Committee against Torture.
  
      While noting that Israel had been subjected to Palestinian rocket attacks from Ghaza against civilians, ‘which is a serious violation of international law’, the NGOs believe that ‘it does not allow Israel to make the same thing’.
  
      In this context, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said Tuesday in Ghaza that those responsible for Israeli bombs have hit buildings in Ghaza the UN should ‘be accountable to the judiciary.’
  
      ‘There must be a thorough investigation, a full explanation to make sure this will never happen again. (Officials) will be held responsible before the judiciary,’ said UN Secretary-General to the press.
  
      A complex of UNRWA (the UN agency for aid to Palestinian refugees), and several schools run by the United Nations have been affected by Israeli bombing, the deadliest of which was over 40 dead on January 6 in Jabaliya in (the northern Ghaza Strip).
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.