5.4 ACCOUNTABILITY for Amnesty International - Operation Cast Lead, 22 Days of Death & Destruction

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ISRAEL/GAZA

OPERATION ‘CAST LEAD’:22 DAYS OF DEATH ANDDESTRUCTION

© A m n e s t y I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Amnesty International is a global movement of 2.2 million people in more than150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights.Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interestor religion – funded mainly by our membership and public donations.

Amnesty International PublicationsFirst published in 2009 byAmnesty International PublicationsInternational SecretariatPeter Benenson House1 Easton StreetLondon WC1X 0DWUnited Kingdomwww.amnesty.org© Amnesty International Publications 2009Index: MDE 15/015/2009Original language: EnglishPrinted by Amnesty International,International Secretariat, United KingdomAll rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but maybe reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy,campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale.The copyright holders request that all such use be registeredwith them for impact assessment purposes. For copying inany other circumstances, or for re-use in other publications,or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission mustbe obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable.

Front cover photo:

Destruction in Gaza City, Yarmouk Street,January 2009

Back cover photo

: Palestinians run for safety at a UN schoolfor refugees in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, on 17 January2009, during an Israeli strike using white phosphorus shells.

CONTENTS

Introduction.................................................................................................................1

1. Killings of Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces...........................................................6

1.1 Precision Strikes...............................................................................................11

1.1.1 Air strikes against buildings.........................................................................11

1.1.2 Air strikes targeting people...........................................................................15

1.1.3 Tank shelling – targeting “anything that moves”.............................................19

1.2 Close-range Shootings.......................................................................................24

1.3 Indiscriminate attacks.......................................................................................27

1.3.1 White phosphorus.......................................................................................27

1.3.2 Mortars......................................................................................................36

1.3.3 flechettes...................................................................................................38

1.4 Attacking and obstructing medical workers..........................................................40

1.4.1 Medical workers in the line of fire.................................................................40

1.4.2 Access to medical care hindered for the wounded..........................................43

2. No safe haven........................................................................................................47

2.1 Palestinian civilians used as “human shields”......................................................48

2.2 Ineffective warnings..........................................................................................50

2.3 Humanitarian access denied...............................................................................51

3. Wanton destruction in Gaza.....................................................................................54

3.1 Homes destroyed without justification.................................................................55

3.2 Public buildings destroyed without justification....................................................60

3.3 A fragile economy ruined....................................................................................61

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