A group of former Israeli soldiers says the military used reckless
force during the fighting in Gaza earlier this year, resulting in
unnecessary deaths and damage.
An organization of Israeli reserve and combat soldiers called Breaking
the Silence released a collection of testimonies Wednesday that said
the Israeli Defense Force demolished homes in Gaza for no reason and
used firepower beyond what was necessary.
The Breaking the Silence report also accused Israeli soldiers of
forcing Palestinians to serve as "human shields" during Israel's
offensive in Gaza.
The Israeli military has rejected the account, saying the group is
"defaming and slandering" its commanders. The military said the human
rights group is presenting a report "based on anonymous and general
testimonies" without "checking their credibility."
Israel says it launched the Gaza offensive in late December to stop
cross-border rocket attacks by Palestinian militants. Three weeks of
fighting killed at least 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. Amnesty
International says 300 Palestinian children were among the dead.