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| Israel Investigating Possible Gaza War Misconduct | Israel Investigating Possible Gaza War Misconduct |
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| TEL AVIV — Israel’s Military Advocate General Corps has ordered criminal investigations into five incidents of possible misconduct on the part of Israeli forces in the 50-day Gaza war, a senior Israeli military official said on Wednesday. | TEL AVIV — Israel’s Military Advocate General Corps has ordered criminal investigations into five incidents of possible misconduct on the part of Israeli forces in the 50-day Gaza war, a senior Israeli military official said on Wednesday. |
| Word of the investigations, coming two weeks after a cease-fire in the conflict, appeared to be the beginning of an Israeli effort to pre-empt international inquiries into allegations of possible Israeli war crimes in Gaza. | Word of the investigations, coming two weeks after a cease-fire in the conflict, appeared to be the beginning of an Israeli effort to pre-empt international inquiries into allegations of possible Israeli war crimes in Gaza. |
| The most prominent of the five cases have already drawn international censure: an Israeli strike that resulted in the death of 16 civilians sheltering at a United Nations school in Beit Hanoun and the killing of four boys on a Gaza beach. | The most prominent of the five cases have already drawn international censure: an Israeli strike that resulted in the death of 16 civilians sheltering at a United Nations school in Beit Hanoun and the killing of four boys on a Gaza beach. |
| The three other cases involve a Palestinian teenager, Ahmed Abu Raida, who said he was mistreated while in detention and used for military purposes, with the decision to investigate largely based on the youth’s allegations as reported in The New York Times, according to the military official; a Palestinian woman who was shot to death even though she had coordinated her movements in advance with Israeli forces; and a soldier who is alleged to have stolen money from a private home while operating in Gaza. | The three other cases involve a Palestinian teenager, Ahmed Abu Raida, who said he was mistreated while in detention and used for military purposes, with the decision to investigate largely based on the youth’s allegations as reported in The New York Times, according to the military official; a Palestinian woman who was shot to death even though she had coordinated her movements in advance with Israeli forces; and a soldier who is alleged to have stolen money from a private home while operating in Gaza. |
| Of 44 incidents that were initially referred to army fact-finding teams for preliminary examination, seven have been closed, including one involving the death of eight members of a family when their home was struck on July 8, the first day of the Israeli air campaign, and others are pending. | Of 44 incidents that were initially referred to army fact-finding teams for preliminary examination, seven have been closed, including one involving the death of eight members of a family when their home was struck on July 8, the first day of the Israeli air campaign, and others are pending. |
| A further 55 incidents are due to be referred to the fact-finding teams next week, according to the senior Israeli official, who briefed reporters at military headquarters here and spoke on the condition of anonymity under the Israeli military protocol. | A further 55 incidents are due to be referred to the fact-finding teams next week, according to the senior Israeli official, who briefed reporters at military headquarters here and spoke on the condition of anonymity under the Israeli military protocol. |
| The swiftness of the process of self-investigation by the military and the publicity about it appeared intended to pre-empt an investigation commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council into allegations of possible war crimes. The Israeli government has said it will not cooperate with the United Nations mission, asserting that the mission’s mandate is biased against Israel. | The swiftness of the process of self-investigation by the military and the publicity about it appeared intended to pre-empt an investigation commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council into allegations of possible war crimes. The Israeli government has said it will not cooperate with the United Nations mission, asserting that the mission’s mandate is biased against Israel. |
| The investigation process may also be intended to counter threats by the Palestinian leadership to join the International Criminal Court for the purpose of holding Israel accountable for its actions as an occupying power. The court generally only investigates cases where the country involved is unwilling or unable to investigate itself. | The investigation process may also be intended to counter threats by the Palestinian leadership to join the International Criminal Court for the purpose of holding Israel accountable for its actions as an occupying power. The court generally only investigates cases where the country involved is unwilling or unable to investigate itself. |
| More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli air and ground operation, up to three-quarters of them civilians, according to the United Nations and other monitoring groups. | More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli air and ground operation, up to three-quarters of them civilians, according to the United Nations and other monitoring groups. |
| The Israeli authorities assert that up to half the casualties were probably combatants. On the Israeli side 67 soldiers and six civilians were killed. | The Israeli authorities assert that up to half the casualties were probably combatants. On the Israeli side 67 soldiers and six civilians were killed. |
| Israel said its military campaign was aimed at halting rocket fire from the Palestinian coastal territory, which is dominated by Hamas, the Islamic militant group, and at destroying a network of tunnels, more than a dozen of them leading into Israeli territory, according to the military. | Israel said its military campaign was aimed at halting rocket fire from the Palestinian coastal territory, which is dominated by Hamas, the Islamic militant group, and at destroying a network of tunnels, more than a dozen of them leading into Israeli territory, according to the military. |
| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of committing a “double war crime” for indiscriminately firing thousands of rockets against Israeli towns and cities and for operating from within heavily populated areas of Gaza, and using its own civilians as a “human shield.” |