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Israeli military not to investigate seven cases of misconduct in 2014 Gaza operation

Xinhua, August 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Israeli military announced on Wednesday it will not investigate seven cases of Palestinian civilians' death and possible looting of Palestinians' possession during Israel's 2014 Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Military Advocate General (MAG) announced his recommendations on Wednesday, regarding "exceptional incidents" that allegedly occurred during the two-month war in the enclave, which resulted in the deaths of more than 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and over 70 Israelis.

Among the cases that will not be investigated is the bombardment of a residential building in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Aug. 1, 2014, in which 15 citizens were killed.

"The decision to strike was taken by the competent authorities and the attack was aimed at military targets -- an active command and control center of the Hamas terror organization and the military operatives who were manning it, among them a senior military operative," the MAG wrote in his report, issued by the IDF spokesperson on Wednesday.

He also added that the strike was carried out "alongside precautionary measures," including the choice of munition, which aimed to "minimize the potential for harm to civilians in the vicinity of the structure," and he therefore did not find "reasonable grounds for suspicion of criminal misconduct" in this case.

Another case the MAG chose not to investigate further is the deaths of between seven to 15 citizens near a school run by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) in Rafah on Aug. 3, 2014.

The MAG found that Israeli soldiers attacked three Palestinian militants riding on motorbikes. According to the IDF, as the forces followed the bikers, the militants switched lanes and the soldiers did not recognize the group of civilians standing outside the school nearby.

Some looting allegations were dismissed as well.

The incidents were reported by Israeli human rights organizations. Overall 360 unusual events were reported to the IDF. Three soldiers were indicted in a case of looting at a house in the Palestinian neighborhood of Shuja'iyya at the eastern part of the city of Gaza last year.

Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, along with the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, in the 1967 Mideast war, and withdrew its settlements and forces from the enclave in 2005.

The Islamist Hamas organization took over the strip in 2007, and Israel had since placed a blockade on the enclave, amid constant rocket fire, and has been limiting the entry and exits of goods and people.

Israel and Hamas had fought several rounds of fighting in the Gaza Strip in the past decade, leaving it in ruins and turning thousands of Palestinians homeless. Endit