The bloodshed in Gaza is flowing has been flowing at an alarming rate, a leading human rights groups says in a new report. Much of the bloodletting has been committed by Israeli troops during a winter offensive, according to Amnesty International, which says they killed hundreds of unarmed civilian adults and children, broke laws and committed war crimes during the onslaught. “Hundreds of civilians were killed in attacks carried out using high-precision, air-delivered bombs and missiles and tank shells. Others, including women and children, were shot at short range when posing no threat to Israeli soldiers,” the group says in its 117-page exposé. But the socio-political group Hamas and other Palestinian groups have inflicted their share of pain too, Amnesty International says. The human rights group says that they committed war crimes by firing hundreds of rockets into southern Israel, killing three Israeli civilians, injuring scores and driving thousands from their homes, according to the report. Amnesty International wants both the Israelis and Palestinians to permit independent investigations into the 22-day conflict, which spanned December and January. Israeli officials denounced the report’s findings. “The slant of their report indicates that the organization succumbed to the manipulations of the Hamas terror organization,” said a Israel Defense Forces news statement. “The Amnesty report ignores a critical aspect of Operation Cast Lead — Hamas consistently, deliberately and routinely violated international law, specifically the prohibition against the use of ‘human shields.’”

TAGS: Amnesty International, gaza, Hamas, Israelis

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