Israel's unlawful destruction of property during Operation Cast LeadWar in Context: Israel should investigate the unlawful destruction of civilian property during the 2009 Gaza hostilities and lift the blockade that hinders residents from rebuilding their homes, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released [May 13].
The 116 page report, 'I Lost Everything: Israel's Unlawful Destruction of Property in the Gaza Conflict' documents 12 separate cases during Operation Cast Lead in which Israeli forces extensively destroyed civilian property, including homes, factories, farms, and greenhouses, in areas under their control, without any lawful military purpose. Human Rights Watch's investigations, which relied upon physical evidence, satellite imagery, and multiple witness accounts at each site, found no indication of nearby fighting when the destruction occurred...
Israel's comprehensive blockade of the Gaza Strip, a form of collective punishment against civilians imposed in response to Hamas's takeover of Gaza in June 2007, has prevented significant reconstruction...
The report examines incidents of destruction that suggest violation of the laws-of-war prohibition of wanton destruction -- the term used to describe extensive destruction of civilian property not lawfully justified by military necessity. Such destruction would be a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Conventions on 1949, which is applicable in Gaza. Individuals responsible for committing or ordering such destruction should be prosecuted for war crimes...
Human Rights Watch documented the complete destruction of 189 buildings, including 11 factories, 8 warehouses and 170 residential buildings -- roughly 5 percent of the total property destroyed in Gaza... In the cases investigated... Israeli forces had destroyed virtually every home, factory and orchard within certain areas, indicating an apparent plan of systematic destruction.
