Israeli forces began a devastating bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip without warning at 11.30am on 27 December 2008.
Codenamed Operation "Cast Lead", its stated aim was to end rocket attacks into Israel by armed groups affiliated with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, which continued to launch a barrage of indiscriminate attacks against Israeli civilian centres throughout the duration of the campaign.
By the time unilateral ceasefires were announced by both Israel and Hamas on 18 January 2009, some 1,400 Palestinians had been killed, including some 300 children and hundreds of other unarmed civilians. Large areas of Gaza had been razed to the ground, leaving many thousands homeless and the already dire economy in ruins. Three Israeli civilians had been killed and scores of homes in southern Israel damaged.
Much of the destruction in the Gaza Strip was wanton and resulted from direct attacks on civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks that failed to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilian objects. Such attacks violated fundamental provisions of international humanitarian law, notably the prohibition on direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects (the principle of distinction), the prohibition on indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, and the prohibition on collective punishment.
To date, five months after the end of Operation "Cast Lead", the Israeli authorities have failed to establish any independent and impartial investigation into the conduct of their forces and actively oppose any such investigations being established.
They have rejected the findings of a UN Board of Inquiry, which investigated nine attacks on UN facilities and personnel during Operation "Cast Lead". They have also refused to co-operate with and to grant access to the country to an international independent fact-finding mission set up by the UN Human Rights Council and headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, undermining its ability to fulfil its mission.
Hamas has allowed the fact-finding mission to conduct fieldwork in the Gaza Strip and has met with the mission's team, which accessed the territory from Egypt.
Amnesty International calls on the Israeli authorities to co-operate fully with the
international independent fact-finding mission established by the UN Human Rights Council, led by Richard Goldstone; and with other international investigations into violations of international law by all the parties to the conflict.
Codenamed Operation "Cast Lead", its stated aim was to end rocket attacks into Israel by armed groups affiliated with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, which continued to launch a barrage of indiscriminate attacks against Israeli civilian centres throughout the duration of the campaign.
By the time unilateral ceasefires were announced by both Israel and Hamas on 18 January 2009, some 1,400 Palestinians had been killed, including some 300 children and hundreds of other unarmed civilians. Large areas of Gaza had been razed to the ground, leaving many thousands homeless and the already dire economy in ruins. Three Israeli civilians had been killed and scores of homes in southern Israel damaged.
Much of the destruction in the Gaza Strip was wanton and resulted from direct attacks on civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks that failed to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilian objects. Such attacks violated fundamental provisions of international humanitarian law, notably the prohibition on direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects (the principle of distinction), the prohibition on indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, and the prohibition on collective punishment.
To date, five months after the end of Operation "Cast Lead", the Israeli authorities have failed to establish any independent and impartial investigation into the conduct of their forces and actively oppose any such investigations being established.
They have rejected the findings of a UN Board of Inquiry, which investigated nine attacks on UN facilities and personnel during Operation "Cast Lead". They have also refused to co-operate with and to grant access to the country to an international independent fact-finding mission set up by the UN Human Rights Council and headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, undermining its ability to fulfil its mission.
Hamas has allowed the fact-finding mission to conduct fieldwork in the Gaza Strip and has met with the mission's team, which accessed the territory from Egypt.
Amnesty International calls on the Israeli authorities to co-operate fully with the
international independent fact-finding mission established by the UN Human Rights Council, led by Richard Goldstone; and with other international investigations into violations of international law by all the parties to the conflict.
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