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International News
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Written by Samuel Sokol
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Thursday, 18 March 2010 16:23 |
The systematic abuse of civilians and the use of the resultant carnage as a weapon against Israel’s image are part of a pre-meditated Hamas “combat doctrine,†according to allegations by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an Israeli think-tank.
The organization this week released a report detailing Hamas’ use of non-combatants as human shields during last January’s Cast Lead incursion into the Gaza Strip.
Hamas’ strategy focuses on avoiding clashes with the IDF in open areas, where Israel’s traditional military forces are at an advantage, instead channeling the fighting into densely built urban zones.
Gaza’s ruling faction is fully conscious of the fact that by “blending its military operatives with the civilian population,†the civilian population of the Gaza Strip is being put at risk, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center claims.
Among the allegations listed is the use of force by Hamas terrorists to trap civilians in built-up areas in order to deter the Israelis.
This doctrine was formulated during the years leading up to operation Cast Lead and was inspired in part by the experience of Hezbollah during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Hamas leaders know that Israeli commanders are careful in avoiding civilian casualties, and that any non-combatants killed constitute a great propaganda victory for the radical Islamic organization.
The Goldstone Report, in which Israel is castigated for allegedly targeting innocent Gazans in a deliberate campaign of terror, is a direct result of the success of this Hamas tactic.
This week’s report details how the Israeli Air Force filmed Hamas operatives using “groups of children as cover to escape from combat areas†as well as to transfer rockets to launching sites. Women carrying children were also utilized as shields to deter Israeli forces from attacking groups transferring weapons.
Hamas forces operated extensively in civilian areas, sometimes wearing civilian clothes and, according to Israeli sources, using mosques and other civilian infrastructure to store weapons used in the fighting. Civilian homes were also found to contain IEDS, and some were wired with explosives.
“The terrorist infrastructure was situated in or near houses, near mosques, educational institutions, and in or near hospitals,†the report stated. “The Goldstone Report pays very little attention to the above facts and minimizes their significance.â€
Gazan non-combatants were also placed on the roofs of buildings which were military targets to deter the Israelis from striking there.
When local residents objected to members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, regarding the utilization of civilian infrastructure for military purposes, “Hamas operatives responded to civilian opposition with violence, on occasion even shooting the protestors.â€
While it effectively absolved Hamas of responsibility for developing and utilizing a combat doctrine predicated on the abuse of the local civilian population, the Goldstone report accused Israeli soldiers of forcing civilians to enter buildings at gunpoint.
However, Israeli combat doctrine specifically bans such actions. The IDF recently announced the indictment of two IDF staff sergeants accused of instructing a boy to open several bags suspected to be booby-trapped.
In a statement to the press, the IDF announced that it is “carrying out detailed investigations of various events from Operation Cast Lead and is doing so through operational investigations, professional investigations at the General Staff level, and through detailed complaints filed by civilians and organizations. “
“The IDF is morally obligated to prevent harming uninvolved civilians and takes numerous measures in order to maintain the values of conduct in warfare and the law by taking legal action against those who breach these moral values. “
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