Amnesty International on Tuesday said that both Israel and the Islamic Jihad terrorist group should be investigated for “war crimes” over the recent round of violence between the sides, i24NEWS reported.
The organization was commenting on Operation Shield and Arrow between May 9 and 13, during which Gaza terrorists fired a total of 1,469 rockets toward Israel, with 1,139 rockets crossing into Israeli territory. The IDF attacked targets belonging to the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
The London-based group charged that Israeli strikes carried out "without military necessity" amount to "a form of collective punishment against the civilian population.”
At the same time, it also accused Palestinian Arab terror groups of "indiscriminate" rocket fire aimed at Israel that "should also be investigated as war crimes.”
Amnesty said the Israeli operation damaged 2,943 housing units in Gaza, including 103 homes that were completely destroyed.
"Israel also conducted apparently disproportionate air strikes which killed and injured Palestinian civilians, including children," the statement added, according to i24NEWS, noting that "intentionally launching disproportionate attacks… is a war crime.”
"Israel's impunity for the war crimes it repeatedly commits against Palestinians… emboldens further violations and makes injustice chronic," said Heba Morayef, Middle East and North Africa Regional Director at Amnesty International.
Despite this Amnesty report criticizing both sides, the organization is known for its anti-Israel bias, and last year released a report accusing Israel of being an apartheid state.
Also last year, Amnesty International USA Executive Director Paul O’Brien caused an uproar after he said that American Jews do not want Israel to be a Jewish state.
O’Brien later apologized to Jewish lawmakers for claiming to speak on behalf of American Jews.