Rights groups challenge IDF figures, speak of 'war crimes'

A coalition of human rights organizations warned yesterday at a press conference that the Gaza Strip was on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. In a letter to the prime minister, defense minister, chief of staff, GOC Southern Command and the attorney general, nine rights groups claimed that after the fighting it would be necessary to start inquiries into what they alleged were war crimes in the Strip.

The human rights groups are also demanding that an "escape corridor" is created so civilians can flee the areas of the fighting.

The rights organizations also presented data showing that the number of those killed in the Gaza Strip exceeded 1,000. More than two-thirds of those killed, the groups claimed, were civilians, and a third of those were children. They also presented data claiming that there are 5,000 wounded as a result of Israel Defense Forces operations, and about 80,000 who have been dislodged from their homes, half of whom are children.

IDF data on the number of Palestinians killed in Operation Cast Lead concurs with the figure of 1,000, dead but claims that at most 25 percent are civilians.

The head of coordination and liaison activities in the Gaza Strip, Colonel Moshe Levy, said yesterday that the IDF has the names of 900 dead Palestinians, of whom only 150 are civilians.

Levy also said that there are 4,000 wounded Palestinians.

The senior officer also said that in the case of the shelling of the UNRWA school last week, 21 Palestinians were killed, not 43 as claimed by aid organizations. Levy said that some of the dead were members of Hamas.

The human rights groups presented data on six cases in which they say the IDF fired at medical personnel, claiming that 12 were killed and 17 were injured in the fighting so far. They also said that there have been 15 hits on medical facilities, including clinics and medical storage facilities.

"The IDF claims on the use of ambulances and medical facilities by Hamas are irresponsible. They lead soldiers in the field to view every ambulance as if it were a tank and not hesitate to target it," said the rights activists.

Also, there are reports that the medical system in the Gaza Strip is on the verge of collapse, and approximately 850 chronic patients requiring care are no longer receiving any.

The human rights groups also said that at least a quarter of the residents of the Gaza Strip have had no electricity since the start of the fighting, and some of the hospitals have only generators available. Even though the IDF allowed spare parts for generators to be brought in, two days ago it bombed the storage facility where they were being kept.

The lack of electricity is also causing disruptions in the water supply and the overflowing of an already poorly maintained sewage system.