Even as the Israeli offensive on the Gaza strip continued to destroy civilian lives and a section of the media celebrated the death toll that crossed a gory 1000 on Wednesday, away from the madness of artillery fire and war cries, Rights Groups in Israel say the action on Gaza civilians amounts to gross misconduct.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and the army top brass, the nine rights groups said civilians in Gaza were being subjected to "extreme humanitarian distress."
"The level of harm to the civilian population is unprecedented," they wrote, accusing troops of "making wanton use of lethal force which has to date caused the deaths of hundreds of uninvolved civilians."
Since the start of Israel's massive war in Gaza, over 1,000 people have been killed in countless aerial bombardments and 10 days of heavy fighting, medics in Gaza said on Wednesday.
That number includes 315 children and 100 women. Another 4,700 people have been wounded in Israel's largest-ever offensive in the coastal territory.
Palestinian medical sources say civilians make up around half of the dead while Israeli military sources say 550 militants have been killed.
With the borders sealed, there was no place of safety for civilians to flee the fighting, meaning they were forced to live in fear and terror, the letter charged.
Gaza's health system was in a state of collapse and troops were delaying or preventing access to medical treatment, meaning many people were dying who could have been saved, they said.
"This kind of fighting constitutes a blatant violation of the laws of warfare and raises the suspicion... of the commission of war crimes," it said, describing the campaign as "a clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians."
Michael Sfard, a human rights lawyer with Israeli rights watchdog Yesh Din said that in the days and months following the offensive, Israel would be called to account.
"However, today our activity should be focused on stopping what constitutes a terrible danger to tens of thousands of people," he told reporters in Jerusalem.
The groups lay out five key demands: an end to the disproportionate harm to civilians; the opening of a route for civilians to escape the fighting; the provision of medical care to the sick and injured; free access for medical teams; and the secure operation of electricity, water and sewage systems.
Among the signatories of the letter were B'tselem, the Public Committee against Torture in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights -- Israel, Yesh Din, and Amnesty International's Israel section.
Several protest rallies calling for an immediate end to the aggression and highlighting ghe need to foster better Israel-Arab relations have been held in various parts of Israel since Jerusalem started sweeping air raids across the Palestinian held coast.
(Agency inputs)
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and the army top brass, the nine rights groups said civilians in Gaza were being subjected to "extreme humanitarian distress."
"The level of harm to the civilian population is unprecedented," they wrote, accusing troops of "making wanton use of lethal force which has to date caused the deaths of hundreds of uninvolved civilians."
Since the start of Israel's massive war in Gaza, over 1,000 people have been killed in countless aerial bombardments and 10 days of heavy fighting, medics in Gaza said on Wednesday.
That number includes 315 children and 100 women. Another 4,700 people have been wounded in Israel's largest-ever offensive in the coastal territory.
Palestinian medical sources say civilians make up around half of the dead while Israeli military sources say 550 militants have been killed.
With the borders sealed, there was no place of safety for civilians to flee the fighting, meaning they were forced to live in fear and terror, the letter charged.
Gaza's health system was in a state of collapse and troops were delaying or preventing access to medical treatment, meaning many people were dying who could have been saved, they said.
"This kind of fighting constitutes a blatant violation of the laws of warfare and raises the suspicion... of the commission of war crimes," it said, describing the campaign as "a clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of civilians."
Michael Sfard, a human rights lawyer with Israeli rights watchdog Yesh Din said that in the days and months following the offensive, Israel would be called to account.
"However, today our activity should be focused on stopping what constitutes a terrible danger to tens of thousands of people," he told reporters in Jerusalem.
The groups lay out five key demands: an end to the disproportionate harm to civilians; the opening of a route for civilians to escape the fighting; the provision of medical care to the sick and injured; free access for medical teams; and the secure operation of electricity, water and sewage systems.
Among the signatories of the letter were B'tselem, the Public Committee against Torture in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights -- Israel, Yesh Din, and Amnesty International's Israel section.
Several protest rallies calling for an immediate end to the aggression and highlighting ghe need to foster better Israel-Arab relations have been held in various parts of Israel since Jerusalem started sweeping air raids across the Palestinian held coast.
(Agency inputs)
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